Star's Gaze
by Kattie
Summary: What happens when a father gets too overprotective?In Quatre Raberba Winner's case,you get kept prisoner in your own house.Can the other pilots rescue him?Can he escape on his own?And does Duo really have just a cold?*Sequel to Bravest Eyes* *Complete*
1. Chapter 1: Even a Small Butterfly Can Cr...

1 Star's Gaze  
  
Chapter One: Even a Small Butterfly Can Cross an Ocean  
  
Kattie  
  
Disclaimer: I will never own Gundam Wing. I have come to accept this as a fact. Sure I have. Suuuuuuuuuure. You believe me, right? ^.~  
  
Note: This is a sequel to Bravest Eyes. If you wait a few chapters I'll put a note telling whether it can be read alone or not. I'll try really hard to let it be a read alone too!  
  
Note: This fanfiction takes place before Winner-otou has died ^^. Hiiro is Heero- but since he's Japanese in ethnicity I thought I'd let him keep his original untranslated name. ^^ I got a lot of e-mails and reviews about this in the first fanfic so PLEASE don't ask me about it again. ^.^* I'll try to be nice but it just really rubs me the wrong way.  
  
Contest: Okay, this one has a contest as well as the last one. Same contest. Give the anime that the title is from and the song's title. ^.^ If you get it for every chapter first you get a prize! Yay! looks innocently at Melara I promise I'll get your prize to you soon! Just had to write this first ^^* I know! I'll make it up to you!  
  
Dedication: To the ever-so-patient Melara-chan! huggles Good job for winning the contest! Yay!  
  
  
  
At the Winner Estate  
  
Mr. Winner's eyes didn't leave Quatre's face. He had been watching his son all day, just waiting for something to happen. It didn't seem possible that this could actually be reality. His son was healthy and with him, for now. Mr. Winner didn't dare take his eyes away from Quatre. In the past, whenever there was happiness, it was taken away as quickly as possible.  
  
Quatre was sleeping on the armchair, in front of the chessboard. They had played many games, but with his experience as a strategist for war, Quatre won every time. But Mr. Winner didn't mind. In fact, he was happy that Quatre had gained such skill that he could defeat his own father. It gave him more pride as Quatre's father.  
  
Every time Quatre won, he had blushed with embarrassment and apologized, as if there was something wrong with him beating Mr. Winner.  
  
"…I'm sorry, sir… checkmate." Quatre had said, looking at the ground.  
  
That was another thing. After all this time, Quatre had begun calling his father "sir". Maybe it was because of their time apart, maybe it was because he respected his father, but either way, Mr. Winner despised it.  
  
"You don't have to apologize for being better than me, Quatre," Mr. Winner frowned, "And you shouldn't call me "sir". I'm your father, not a business associate."  
  
"Sorry, sir… father…" Quatre blushed a brighter red and smiled up at his father with his kind and loving eyes. "Do you want to play again?"  
  
They must have played 20 games, taking their competition deep into the depths of the night. Finally, during their last game, when Mr. Winner had taken particularly long deciding on a move, Quatre had fallen asleep.  
  
In his sleep, Quatre looked like a child again. The child that Mr. Winner had deprived of his time, who had loved him for it anyway. 'Never again,' Mr. Winner thought, putting a blanket over his son, 'I'll never put work before Quatre again.'  
  
As easy as it seemed to repair mistakes made in the past, Mr. Winner knew that it would be impossible to gain back what he had lost from his own foolishness. Quatre was a Gundam pilot now; he had a responsibility to go back to that life. That dangerous position as a soldier. Where he could be hurt, just as badly as before.  
  
Just the thought of Quatre being in pain again sent a chill down Mr. Winner's spine. He couldn't deal with Quatre being hurt again. It had torn him up before, but he'd managed to recover. Next time, Mr. Winner wouldn't be so lucky.  
  
There was only one solution- one way for Quatre to be safe. 'He can't go back,' Mr. Winner realized, 'That's the only way for him to be safe.'  
  
The more he thought about his idea, the more he understood how well it would work. It was a flawless plan. 'He can stay here. I can protect him here.' He would have limitless time to spend with his son, and Quatre would be safe.  
  
But Quatre wouldn't agree to this plan. He would want to go back to pilot his Gundam. 'I can't let him go back,' Mr. Winner decided, 'It's for his own good… He'll be safe here.'  
  
A smile came to his lips as he gazed at his son, knowing he would no longer risk being killed in the war. He wouldn't have to worry anymore. Nothing could hurt Quatre here.  
  
'I'm sorry, Quatre. But I can't allow you to fight this futile battle anymore.'  
  
  
  
End of Chapter  
  
End Notes: Well? I know it's short- but it's supposed to be a prologue. I just didn't label it prologue because ff dot net automatically puts a one by it and it confused some people in the last fic ^^*  
  
I didn't even take my whole week break ^^* I can't even keep promises I make to myself, can I? I hope you liked it. But if you hated it… please be nice about it ^__^* Hm… thinking about getting a beta reader. Anyone interested? (Has to be online a lot- so they can be quick to reply- I'm very impatient and I never edit because I'd like to have the chapters up ASAP!)  
  
Please review! Reviews= Inspiration= Less work on my overworked muse= more chapters more quickly!  
  
Muse: twitch twitch oh wait… I had almost a week off. ^__^ ready to work! 


	2. Chapter 2: Today We Walked Backwards Tog...

1 Star's Gaze  
  
Chapter 2: Today We Walked Backwards Together  
  
Kattie  
  
Disclaimer: Gather round, gather 'round my beloveds! (That's not a word- is it? ^^*)  
  
Pilots (aka beloveds): Gather 'round  
  
Kattie: I have something very serious to tell you. takes a deep breath I do not own you! I have never owned you and I never will!  
  
Pilots: blink blink  
  
Duo: whispers Did we ever think Kattie owned us?  
  
Quatre: ever-so-sweetly I don't think so.  
  
Wufei: Baka onna  
  
Kattie: ;_; The things I do to keep from being sued.  
  
Note: Come on! Pleaaase somebody try the contest! You actually get a prize! It takes time to for me to figure out which title to choose so pleaaaase somebody take the time to try! (this message does not go to you Melara. pats Mel-san on head At least SOMEBODY appreciates my time sobs)  
  
Note: I'm using the name Quaterine for Quatre's mother. I know in episode zero is was translated to Catherine by Viz. But… it's Quaterine! holds up her episode zero scans See! See! It's supposed to be Quaterine! So please do not bother me about this spelling as I have been harassed a million times about my spelling of Hiiro.  
  
Note: Duo's temperature is 103 degrees Fahrenheit. In Celsius that would be … well… actually I don't know and I have no way to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius. Hm… well 103 degrees is just low enough that you don't need to go to a hospital. (According to Mommy and Mommy's always right ^__^) (hm.. has Kattie been brainwashed) yup ^__^  
  
Dedication: This is also dedicated to Melara. If you want a chapter dedicated to you enter the contest! Or go read and review "Forever Gone" ^^* Only 8 reviews. Then again… it is a songfic…  
  
  
  
At the Winner Estate  
  
Mr. Winner awoke to the faint music of a violin. The sweet melody was muffled by the doors between him and the one who played this tune, but he could still hear it softly. It was somewhat sad, but harmonious nonetheless. The middle-aged businessman knew who was playing the instrument at once.  
  
'Quatre.'  
  
Walking through the halls, Mr. Winner soon found himself at the source of the music. He watched Quatre as he sat on the railing on the balcony, moving his bow back and fourth across the strings of the violin, causing the notes to fill the air. He was playing it softly, obviously to not disturb anyone, but then again, who could ever truly call themselves disturbed when listening to such divine music?  
  
An off-key final note was played as Quatre noticed Mr. Winner, directly beside him, and flinched in surprise.  
  
"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" Quatre asked, setting his violin beside him on the rail.  
  
"No, of course not. You were playing to softly to wake anyone. " Mr. Winner grinned, sitting on the railing next to his only son. "Will you play some more? You're an excellent violinist."  
  
These words caused Quatre to blush a bright red. "Thank you."  
  
As he began to play again, Mr. Winner couldn't help but smile lovingly at his wonderful son. Quatre brought so much joy into his life. With his son's love and kindness, Mr. Winner felt a great sense of achievement to have brought such an extraordinary person into being.  
  
'Your son has grown to be just like you, Quaterine. I wish you were here to see him. He'd make you so proud.' Mr. Winner said to the heavens, not actually speaking the words, but making them more of a silent prayer to his deceased wife.  
  
With the songs' conclusion, Quatre set his violin down again and looked into his father's eyes. "Uh… sir?" He began, his eyes filling with hope.  
  
"What is it, Quatre?" Mr. Winner asked. He didn't know why, but for some reason Quatre looked extremely nervous.  
  
"I… You know I have to leave tomorrow." Quatre said quickly, as if eager to get it out so it would finally be done with.  
  
Mr. Winner chuckled at this and smiled down at his son. "No. You aren't leaving tomorrow."  
  
In surprise, Quatre let his bow fall to the floor of the balcony. Although he obviously noticed this, Quatre didn't move to pick it up. Instead, he kept his confused gaze on his father's face. "I have to leave tomorrow," He explained, "I have a job to do. And you know you can't afford to be away from work any longer."  
  
"There isn't any job for you to do," Mr. Winner argued, "This was is pointless. If you go back the only thing that will come of it is your death. I couldn't live with that."  
  
Staring at Mr. Winner's face, Quatre didn't move for a second, lost in thoughts. When finally they were broken, he smiled sadly at his father and embraced him. "Father, I know you have a different opinion of this war, but you have to understand something. If I don't go back, other people will die in my place. I'm willing to die to end this war. I have to go back."  
  
"Oh, Quatre," Mr. Winner grinned all-knowingly, "This war will end, but not through violence and death, especially not through your death. If everyone put down their weapons we could find a diplomatic solution to all of the problems. Why not be the first person to set down your weapon?"  
  
"Do you really think people will give up on fighting just because one person decided not to fight?" Quatre asked, growing angry. "If people were actually like that then there wouldn't have been a war in the first place. If I stop fighting, everyone else will continue fighting but there will be less chance that the side I believe in will be victorious. Don't you see? I have to go back."  
  
"I don't see anything," Mr. Winner snapped, "Except for a foolish young boy eager to shed his blood for a meaningless cause."  
  
"Is peace really meaningless?" Quatre retorted.  
  
"Fighting to bring fighting to an end is foolish." Mr. Winner explained.  
  
"I agree, but no one else sees this view and so we have to achieve pacifism by their ways."  
  
"Not 'we', Quatre. You're not going back." Mr. Winner finished.  
  
"It's not your decision. This is my life and if I'm willing to give it for a 'meaningless' cause then it will be given up." Picking up his violin and bow, Quatre walked back into the house.  
  
"But Quatre," Mr. Winner said to the empty space Quatre had filled the moment before, "It /is/ my decision, whether it is meant to be or not."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Far Away  
  
  
  
"When is Quatre getting back?" Duo asked. He was laying on a chair with his legs hanging over one armrest and his head resting on the other. It was a very boring day.  
  
"Tomorrow." Hiiro answered, simply. Though, in truth, he wished Quatre were back as well.  
  
"You mean I still have another day to wait for him?" Duo whined.  
  
"… Yes."  
  
"But… Wufei will have killed me by then!" The brunette cried, shooting Wufei a suspicious look.  
  
"Probably," Wufei admitted, "Unless you stop your constant whining."  
  
"You're so mean." Duo groaned, shifting his position on the chair.  
  
Trowa, oblivious to this entire conversation, stared out of the window into the void of space. With Quatre and the mission to retrieve him gone, his connection with the other pilots had been broken. Once again he sat in silence, saying nothing and acknowledging nothing.  
  
Quatre was Trowa's friend. His one and only friend. With him gone, Trowa felt alone in the world. Without a mission, he had no reason to speak with the other pilots, and they had no reason to speak with him. It brought a sense of loneliness.  
  
'Quatre,' he said to the stars floating in the darkness, 'Come back soon.'  
  
Across the room, Duo continued his whining in a very successful attempt to seem natural. In reality, he was feeling sick- very sick. He hadn't been sleeping well and his stomach felt like someone had plunged a knife into it. A few times his temperature had reached a very high point of 103 degrees but right now it had gone down to 100.  
  
'This better go away soon,' Duo thought, 'I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.'  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
At the Winner Estate  
  
  
  
"Are you serious?" Quatre asked the man by the front door.  
  
"Yes, sir. I've been given strict orders not to allow you to leave the house." The man, who was actually very muscular, said.  
  
"I have to leave," Quatre explained, "He's just being overprotective. I have to go back to fight in the war."  
  
"I mean no offense, sir, but I wouldn't let my son be a soldier either. You have a very nice house. Just forget the war." He told Quatre, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
  
Pushing past the man, Quatre grabbed the doorknob and turned it. Instead of the door opening, as doors are meant to do, it remained locked and a high screeched alarm filled the house. Panicking, Quatre turned the doorknob both ways over and over, hoping that maybe the door would open this time, or the next.  
  
Realizing that the door was not going to open, or rather, accepting the fact, Quatre pounded on the door with his fist in his panicked state. Finally giving up, he leaned against the door, and slid to the ground, breathing heavily from the effort used. He was being trapped in his own home.  
  
After a few minutes, someone sat next to Quatre and put a hand on his shoulder. "Quatre," He said, "This is for your own good. You may not realize it now, but someday you'll thank me for this."  
  
Mr. Winner looked sadly at his poor son. Of course Quatre would be confused and afraid but that was only for now. He'd come to appreciate this soon. It would only take a little time. "Quatre?"  
  
Acknowledging his father, Quatre looked up at Mr. Winner with tears trailing down his pale face. His eyes were red and he was breathing deep and tiredly. "Why are you doing this? Don't you understand?" Quatre asked. "With me gone their chances of being killed increase. Please, let me go. Please?" He looked at his father with eyes filled with hope and tears.  
  
Mr. Winner almost backed down at the look he was getting from his son. Quatre was afraid of him. There was no love in his eyes now. Only fear and hope. "I'm sorry, Quatre," Mr. Winner said, finally, "But I've made up my mind."  
  
Upon hearing this, Quatre buried his face in his arms, which were resting upon his knees, and began sobbing. Every melancholy breath sent a shiver down Mr. Winner's spine. "Don't cry, Quatre."  
  
"Damn it," Quatre said quietly through his wracking sobs, "Why do you have to be so selfish?"  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
End of Chapter  
  
End Note: Sorry, this chapter is short as well. I don't know why but my chapters always seem to start short and get longer. Maybe it's because I have a lot more reviews later into the story? (hint hint) ^__^ Hope you liked this chapter!  
  
Hmm… considering writing a chapter song fic to "Art of Life" by X-Japan. It's 29 minutes long so it would have to be in chapters… hm… what do you think? I probably will anyway just because it works so perfectly ^^  
  
Remember! Reviews= Inspiration= More and longer chapters!  
  
If you'd like you can e-mail me at Kattie41@aol.com or IM me on AIM at Kattie41. Thank you for your time! Have a lovely day! 


	3. Chapter 3: Locked Away in the White-sand...

1 Star's Gaze  
  
Chapter Three: Locked Away in the White-sand Moon  
  
Kattie  
  
Disclaimer: music fades in Kattie: throws each pilot a microphone Sing it boys!  
  
Pilots: ^^*  
  
Kattie: facefault Come on! Please? Sing it!  
  
music gets louder  
  
Pilots: ^^*  
  
Kattie:… well… fine then. dresses cosplay as each pilot at the same time. …. Scary YOU DON'T OWN ME! sings I'M NOT JUST ONE OF YOUR MANY TOYS! YOU DON'T OWN ME! DON'T SAY I CAN'T GO WITH… other boys? Uh wait… this isn't yaoi I swear! (Not that I dislike yaoi or anything)  
  
Okay… feeling weird. But I don't own Gundam Wing! So now you know!  
  
Note: Thank you so much for reviewing the last chapter! I was very very very pleased! huggles everyone- but mostly reviewers THANK YOU!  
  
Note: Ah… yes 103 degrees is very hot but Duo is FIFTEEN so it's technically not life-threatening… I think… well it is but… he's not dead. Does that make sense? He should go to the hospital but he's not. sighs Sorry- I'm trying to make this clear but I'm far too hyper.  
  
Note: Uh, go ahead and skip Quatre's logical plot for escape if you want. It is not really relevant ^^*.  
  
Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to Saffire for those two very meaningful reviews! Made my day ^__^ (And of course- Saffire has been reviewing every chapter forever) This one's for you! points at Saffire and begins singing again BUM BUM BUM BUM BUM BUM BUM AND DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO SAY AND DON'T… fades off into the chapter  
  
  
  
In a Safe House- far away from the Winner Estate  
  
"Where the hell is he?" Duo asked, slamming his drink down on the table. He was feeling horrible, having spent the majority of his night with his face in a toilet. It was getting harder and harder to pretend like he was feeling fine.  
  
There was no way he'd tell any of the three pilots present how he was feeling. Not unless there was no other alternative. He'd have to wait for Quatre to return. He could share this with Quatre. Quatre would understand, but he couldn't tell anyone else.  
  
'Act natural!' Duo mentally screamed at himself.  
  
"I don't know," Wufei replied, seeming somewhat angry, "He was supposed to be back three days ago."  
  
"He hasn't seen his father in a long time," Hiiro snapped, in Quatre's defense, "If he wants to spend a few more days there then it isn't our place to object."  
  
"He could at least call." Wufei pointed out.  
  
Those words brought Hiiro to silence. There was no way to argue with honest facts. Quatre hadn't called to tell them he'd be staying with his father longer. He was usually so responsible. It was somewhat disappointing.  
  
"Maybe he doesn't plan on coming back." Trowa said quietly, from his seat across the room.  
  
Even as he said it he knew how hard it would be if his theory were true. His connection would be broken, and not just for a small while, it would be broken for eternity. It was killing him to have Quatre gone so long. He was so lonely without his one true friend.  
  
'Prove me wrong, Quatre,' Trowa thought, 'Please come back.'  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Winner Estate  
  
It was time.  
  
Quatre had spent the last three days watching. Through watching, he had learned everything he needed to know for escape. There were at least 5 ways to get out of this house that he was sure of. Two of them were too dangerous to try first, but his best plan was ready to commence.  
  
The guard at the front door would change the codes on the lock two times a day, once in the morning, and once at night. During this period of time, which usually took around 2 minutes, he would spend about thirty seconds writing the new codes in an intricately locked computer program, so that Mr. Winner would have access if he needed, and so that the other guards could see them.  
  
While the guard in the house completed this, the guards outside would pay particular attention to the front door. The three other door's locks were then changed by the guards watching them, using the codes the first guard had programmed. During this short period of time, all of the doors were closely watched.  
  
Which made it very easy to escape through a window, unnoticed.  
  
Of course, the windows could not be escaped through easily. Mr. Winner had placed bars over the windows on both the first, second, and third floors, foreseeing this escape route. However, the fourth floor windows were not barred, considering no one could safely jump from that high. Not safely, but it could be done.  
  
Slowly, Quatre made his way to the fourth floor bathroom and locked the door behind him. He waited a few moments, staring at his watch, for the correct time to come. When it read 8:35 PM, he slid the window open.  
  
It was a long distance to the ground. A dangerously long distance. However, there was a drainpipe on the side of the house that Quatre's window was attached to. Keeping an eye on the guards, Quatre began climbing down, as quickly as possible. He made it to the third floor, before he began to lose his grip.  
  
Sliding his hand around the pipe to regain the grip, his other hand slipped off completely and he was left holding himself with one hand for a moment, before falling to the ground.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Inside the Mansion  
  
Mr. Winner turned to look at the window as he heard something hit the drainpipe hard. Without giving it a second thought, he assumed it was a bird. 'I'll check on it in the morning.' He told himself.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Outside  
  
Quatre dragged himself into the bushes. 'That wasn't so bad.' He thought, trying to convince himself it was true.  
  
It actually was pretty bad. During the fall, he had attempted to grab the pipe again and instead of regaining a hold, he had merely hit the drainpipe with his hand, causing it great pain. As he landed, his ankle twisted in the wrong direction and snapped, leaving it broken and useless.  
  
There was no way he could escape now. It was an impossibility with a broken ankle. Even if he somehow managed to make it off of the grounds, he wouldn't be able to get far enough away in enough time.  
  
'Damn it,' he cursed himself, 'They'll think I abandoned them… I'm sorry, Trowa, Hiiro, Duo, Wufei… I tried.'  
  
As Quatre stared ahead of him, thinking, an idea struck him. Even if he couldn't escape now, he could at least tell the other pilots what had happened so they wouldn't worry. There was a telephone right outside of the grounds, less than a block away, on the street's corner. He could make it there and tell them what had happened.  
  
Standing up, he ignored the pain, and quickly made his way to the gate. 'Just climb the fence and you can tell them what happened. Don't let them worry about you.'  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Far away  
  
The pilots ignored the telephone as it rang a second time.  
  
"Get the phone, Maxwell." Hiiro snapped, not looking up from his laptop's screen.  
  
"You get it, Yuy." Duo replied, shifting positions on his chair.  
  
"Chang." Hiiro didn't even bother to say the sentence again.  
  
"No."  
  
"Barton."  
  
Trowa, who had already risen from his seat to get the phone when they began arguing, picked up the phone at the same moment his name was spoken. He didn't say anything after answering the phone, but instead, waited for the person on the other line to say something first.  
  
"Trowa?" A voice asked, knowing who was on the other line from the silence.  
  
Recognizing the voice, Trowa's eyes widened. "Quatre?"  
  
At their blonde comrade's name, the other three pilots perked up immediately and ran to the phone.  
  
"Quatre's on the phone?" Duo asked, practically jumping up and down.  
  
"Yeah, it's me, Trowa," Quatre said, on the telephone, "I was just calling to-"  
  
"Where are you?" Hiiro asked, taking the receiver from Trowa.  
  
"I'm at my father's house. I'm sorry but-"  
  
"When are you coming back?" Duo asked, stealing the receiver from a very angry Hiiro.  
  
"I don't know. Right now I'm-"  
  
Again Quatre was interrupted.  
  
Wufei had the phone this time. "Why didn't you call earlier?" He asked.  
  
"I tried to but-"  
  
"Are you planning on coming back?" Trowa questioned, reclaiming what was rightfully his. He'd answered it, hadn't he?  
  
"OfcourseI'mplanningoncomingbackbutmyfatherdoesn'twantmetoosohe'sputupaguard tokeepmefromleaving!" Quatre said quickly, trying to get it out before anyone else interrupted him.  
  
"… Repeat that." Trowa replied.  
  
"I'm trying to get back but my father doesn't want me too. He put up a guard and he's trying to keep me from escaping the house. I'm going to try to make it back as soon as I can but right now I can't make it farther than this telephone."  
  
"He's…what?" Trowa asked, not believing what he was hearing.  
  
"He's keeping me here. I can't get away now because I broke my ankle getting here but don't worry, I'll be back soon." Quatre explained.  
  
"We can come get you." Trowa offered.  
  
"No," Quatre objected, "I'll be fine. Thank you for offering but you probably have missions and they're more important than this."  
  
"We haven't had a mission in weeks." Trowa explained.  
  
"My father might have you arrested," Quatre admitted, "Don't worry about me. I just wanted to let you know where I am."  
  
"We can't just leave you there, Quatre."  
  
"You won't have to. I'll be back before you-" Before Quatre could finish the sentence the line was disconnected.  
  
Trowa held the receiver for a moment, listening to the dial tone. Quatre was gone. Slowly, he hung up the phone and turned to the other pilots. "We have to leave."  
  
Without questioning this order at all, they nodded.  
  
"Where are we going?" Duo asked.  
  
"Winner Estate," Trowa answered, "We have to go get Quatre. His father doesn't want him to return and has made it impossible for him to leave on his own."  
  
"Our first mission in weeks," Duo grinned, "I couldn't ask for a more important one."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
End of Chapter  
  
Yes, that was very short, and probably boring. yawns But the next chapter should be up soon. In fact, maybe I'll write it right now. hits file:new Should be up by tomorrow!  
  
Note: If you hate this chapter, I'll rewrite it for you. I haven't read it but it wasn't very exciting to write. I apologize for any boredom it may have caused you.  
  
Remember reviews=inspiration=more chapters! 


	4. Chapter 4: The Boy Who Wandered Off Into...

1 Star's Gaze  
  
Chapter 4: The Boy Who Wandered Off Into the Deep Darkness  
  
Kattie  
  
Disclaimer: There are three things in life I know as facts:  
  
If something tastes bad, add either sugar or salt.  
  
Long hair is sexy. (Also a Japanese proverb. In my proverb book ^^*)  
  
I don't own Gundam Wing.  
  
sobs There is your wisdom for the day! Be wise! Be wise!  
  
Note: I was very pleased that the last chapter wasn't too boring! Thank you for being patient through that chapter. It was semi-boring but very much needed. I'm glad you enjoyed it still ^__^ Also, I'd like to apologize for hurting Quatre-chan. But, think about it, what other reason would I have for him knowing in advance that he wouldn't be able to escape? He had to get out of the house, but not escape completely. phew And he had to know in advance. So, I had to hurt him. Sorry! You know I love my Q-chan! glomps  
  
Dedication: glomps all the nice people who reviewed Kattie's note on illness Thank you very much!!! huggles Everyone was so nice to me I couldn't feel any better! Thanks for the soup and get well wishes! I'll try to make this chapter extra good because it's for you!  
  
  
  
At the Winner Estate  
  
In Mr. Winner's office there was a great battle being fought. Neither army, which each consisted of one lone soldier, used a firearm or even a sword as a weapon. There was no word uttered for a verbalized battle. No, this was a battle fought in the silence, through looks passed between the two men and body language.  
  
From a look of questioning to a death glare, the silent war waged on until it finally reached its' peak and words were spoken.  
  
"Why did you try to leave?" Mr. Winner asked, looking Quatre directly in the eyes with a deep glare.  
  
"Did you really expect me to just sit here and let other people fight this war in my place?" Quatre questioned in response. "People are dying out there because you won't let me take my place in this war. They're fighting and dying in my place."  
  
Mr. Winner fell silent at the last words' end. "I don't want you to die, Quatre."  
  
Quatre sighed and looked away. "I can't say I feel the same."  
  
"Don't say that!" Mr. Winner snapped.  
  
"At least if I was dead, I would be free. Free of this torture of ignorance. I don't know if my best friends are alive or dead. They could be hurt and dying and I couldn't help them. Duo's sick. He's trying to hide it, but even in his voice I could tell. Are you going to keep me here and let Duo get more and more sick?" Quatre asked, in a calm but trembling voice.  
  
"Stop worrying about other people!" Mr. Winner replied. He took Quatre's hand. "If they have any heart at all they should find happiness in your joy."  
  
Pulling his hand back, Quatre looked into Mr. Winner's eyes, as his own filled with tears. "Their happiness brings me happiness."  
  
"Why can't you just forget about those soldiers and live here?" Mr. Winner asked, hurt by his son's words.  
  
"I could never forget them," Quatre answered, "They're my friends… more like brothers. I love them. I would be ecstatic if I was given the honor of dying for any one of them. Instead, they're probably going to end up dying for me."  
  
"I can't let you die for anyone, Quatre," Mr. Winner explained, "If you died, so many people would mourn your death. Your sisters, the Maguanacs… If one of your friends died, only you would mourn. I think, if they loved you, they'd understand what I'm doing."  
  
Quatre looked at his father with a look of mixed shock, confusion, and supreme anger. "How could you say something so heartless? There might not be a large amount of people grieving, but we'd feel the grief for a thousand people. You can only say that because the only way you know to love is through control.  
  
"That's not true, Quatre!" Mr. Winner objected.  
  
Ignoring him, Quatre continued. "You didn't care about me at all until I left to live my own life. As soon as that happened, you came back, to steal my existence away again. So that I'd do exactly what you had planned. But it didn't work, because I'm not your pawn anymore. I have a mind of my own, and a heart to love whomever I want, whether you approve or not."  
  
With those last words, Quatre stood up and began walking out of the room, limping with his broken ankle, but putting some weight on it anyway, despite the pain.  
  
"You hurt your ankle." Mr. Winner observed.  
  
Turning to look at his father, Quatre made eye contact one last time. "Is that the only pain you notice?" He turned back and limped out of the room, saying no form of goodbye to his concerned father.  
  
With his son gone, Mr. Winner sat back in his chair and thought about the words Quatre had spoken. He wondered if what Quatre had said was true. Did he love through control?  
  
No. He loved Quatre and he had let him do whatever he wanted before. But he cared enough now to know that his son was too compassionate to decide his own fate. He would let himself die for a useless cause because he felt it was right. Quatre was still a child.  
  
Every child needs parental guidance.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Somewhere far away  
  
Duo took another ibuprofen and leaned back in his chair. The shuttle had had a bumpy lift off, causing his headache to get worse with all the shaking. He was feeling worse and it seemed like the shuttle would never reach its' destination. It was impossible to hide all of the illness from the others, but so far, the other pilots hadn't noticed.  
  
Sitting next to him, Hiiro seemed oblivious to any signs Duo was showing of being ill. He typed away on his laptop, not even looking in Duo's general direction.  
  
Sighing, Duo put another pill in his mouth.  
  
"Don't take another one, it's not healthy." Hiiro said, not taking his eyes from the computer's screen.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Duo asked, trying to sound as natural as he could with a painkiller in his mouth.  
  
Closing his laptop, Hiiro looked over at his brown-haired comrade. "The pill. Spit it out."  
  
"I don't know what you think you saw, but there wasn't any pill." Duo replied, sliding the pill beneath his tongue.  
  
"We're not blind, Maxwell. You've been sick since a few days after Quatre left. You're trying to hide the fact, and it's stupid. If you take another pill it's going to make your headache worse so spit out the pill or I'll pull it out for you." Hiiro snapped.  
  
Duo spat the pill into a napkin and looked Hiiro in the eyes. "It's just a cold."  
  
Hiiro opened his laptop and began typing again. It seemed like he hadn't heard Duo. For a few moments there was silence as Duo watched his companion, waiting for a reply. After waiting for a few minutes, he closed his eyes and leaned against the back of the chair again.  
  
"We would have left you to rest, but we need you," Hiiro said, "Don't let yourself get too sick."  
  
Duo pretended to be asleep, and said nothing. He was angry that they hadn't told him that they knew of his illness, but all the same he was glad that they had let him come to get Quatre. It would have been horrible to be left behind on such an important mission.  
  
Soon Duo fell asleep and all thoughts on the matter were washed away by dreams.  
  
With a click, Hiiro closed his laptop again, and stood up from his seat. A few minutes later he returned with a blanket. After sitting down again, he placed it over Duo, making sure it was covering him entirely.  
  
He watched Duo for a few moments, making sure that he was all right, and then returned to his laptop.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
In the Winner Manor  
  
All of the lights in Quatre's room were turned off. Nothing in the room could be seen, but that didn't matter. Thinking didn't require any light.  
  
Quatre sat alone in the darkness trying to understand what his father had said. So many of his words had been heartless and ignorant that Quatre couldn't comprehend what he really meant. He couldn't possibly have decided that Quatre's life was more important than the other pilots, just because Quatre knew more people.  
  
Could he?  
  
The doubt was growing in Quatre's mind and he could figure out why his father was acting so cruelly. Was he really selfish, as Quatre had called him? Even when Quatre was a child and his father ignored him to complete his work, Quatre had never thought of him as selfish. But now, as he placed his own son's life above 4 others, just because Quatre was his son, he wasn't so sure that Mr. Winner wasn't the most selfish man he'd ever met.  
  
"He's doing this because he loves you." A voice said from the door.  
  
Turning, Quatre looked towards the voice before realizing that it was a pointless movement, considering the dark. Slowly, he made his way towards a lamp and turned it on. His sister, Iria, was standing in the doorway.  
  
"Hello, Quatre." She grinned.  
  
Smiling back at his sister, Quatre pulled Iria into an embrace. "Hello, Iria. How are you doing?"  
  
"I'm fine," Iria replied, "I came to talk to you about father."  
  
Quatre's expression quickly folded into a frown. "I'm sorry, Iria, but I don't really think there's anything to talk about."  
  
"Quatre," Iria hugged him again, "You know he's just doing this because he loves you, don't you?"  
  
Pausing for a moment, Quatre sat down in a chair. "…Yes. I know he loves me. I just don't understand why he's being so irrational. If he loves me, then why does he keep me as a prisoner in my own house?"  
  
"He's worried about you, Quatre," Iria explained, "When you were in the hospital I thought he might actually have an emotional breakdown. He loves you so much he doesn't know what to do. When the possibility of you dying actually came, he realized he couldn't bear to lose you. He's trying to protect you."  
  
"By taking my life away?" Quatre asked.  
  
"You stayed here for years without leaving and never complained before. He probably thinks that you'll adjust to this and live like you did before." Iria sat down next to him and watched him think about this.  
  
"I can't stay here, Iria. Even if it is safer for me to be here, I can't leave my friends to do the fighting for me. I don't know what to do." Tears slid down Quatre's face as his frustration was finally let out. "I'm scared, Iria. If they die I'll never forgive myself. I don't know what to do."  
  
Pulling Quatre closer to her, Iria wrapped her arms around her little brother for the third time. He buried his face in her shoulder and began sobbing as she stroked his hair and kissed his head.  
  
"Don't cry, Quatre. It will be alright." Iria said softly.  
  
"H-he won't listen to me!" Quatre sobbed. "I t-tried to tell him b- but he just kept saying that h-he was going to keep me here! I need to go back…"  
  
"Shh," Iria hushed him, "Don't worry. I'll go talk to him. Maybe he'll understand if I tell him."  
  
"Th-thank you, Iria." Quatre held her tightly for a few moments, drenching the shoulder of her shirt with his tears. "I'm sorry to bother you."  
  
"Don't be silly," she grinned down at him, "You know I love you too, right?"  
  
Quatre smiled back at her and laughed through his tears. "I love you too, Iria."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Somewhere, not so far away anymore  
  
"Now reaching Level Four Colony Cluster. If this is your stop please remember to take all luggage from the overhead compartments and return your seats to their upright positions. I hope you had a good flight and thank you for choosing Eagle Shuttle Service." The flight attendant said cheerfully over the speakers.  
  
"Duo, wake up." Hiiro said, tapping his sleeping friend on the shoulder.  
  
"Hn?" Duo groaned, yawning as he blinked his eyes a few times to adjust them to the light. "Are we there?"  
  
"Yeah." Hiiro replied. "I'll get your bag."  
  
"Thanks." Slowly, Duo got to his feet and stretched.  
  
"Are you feeling better?" Hiiro asked.  
  
"Yeah," Duo lied with a grin, "I guess I just needed a little sleep to get over that cold."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
End of Chapter  
  
End Notes: Sorry, still pretty short, but no shorter than the last phew. I hope you liked this chapter ^__^ Thanks to everyone who waited for it! huggles Next one should be up soon! Sorry for the delay!  
  
Remember- Reviews=Inspiration=More chapters at a speedier rate!  
  
If you would like to be added to a list of people e-mailed when each new chapter is put online please e-mail me at Kattie41@aol.com or IM me on AIM at Kattie41. If you have reviewed with an e-mail address left you are already on this list ^.^. If you would like off please e-mail me too! Sorry for the inconvenience! huggles Ja! 


	5. Chapter 5: Love Repeats Itself Again and...

Star's Gaze  
  
Chapter 5: Love Repeats Itself Again and Again  
  
Kattie  
  
Disclaimer: Ahem! clears throat I will now attempt to brainwash you ^.^ Repeat after me:  
  
Kattie: Kattie is the supreme ruler of the world!  
  
You: Kattie is the supreme ruler of the world.  
  
Kattie: She rules the universe!  
  
You: She rules the universe.  
  
Kattie: She owns EVERYTHING!  
  
You: She owns everything.  
  
Kattie: Even Gundam Wing!  
  
You:… brainwashing power is gone You don't own Gundam Wing, I do!  
  
Kattie: GAH! runs away It was worth a try.  
  
I do not own Gundam Wing!  
  
Note: Three weeks until the end of school (yay!) and so my evil teachers are pouring on the homework, tests, essays, projects, etc. I swear I'm going to die before it's all over! So please bear with me if I can't update very often for these next few weeks. huggles I apologize but I'm trying for a 4.0 so it requires a great deal of time!  
  
Note: Everyone wants to know what disease Duo has. Do you really want to know? Do you? Really? Well… I'M NOT TELLING! BWAHAHAHHA! Gomen, but you'll just have to wait. (Unless you e-mail or IM me in which case I might just tell you) ^^* Don't you just love my iron resolve?  
  
Contest: All of the songs in the contest are from anime. There's a clip of a song, could be dubbed or translated (or originally in English), used as a chapter title. You find what anime it's from and the song's title. For example (taken from Bravest Eyes) if a chapter was called "Beautiful and Sad is this Story I'll Tell" you would tell me that it was "Voices" (English Version) from "Macross Plus". Make sense? If not, tell me and I'll try to be clearer. If you're doing the contest you can IM or e-mail me for hints!  
  
  
  
At the Winner Estate  
  
The paperwork on Mr. Winner's desk had piled up high. Over the days the stack had grown larger and larger as he continued to ignore his work. Sitting at the desk, Mr. Winner stared straight at his paperwork, yet still he ignored it. In fact, he couldn't really even see the papers as he was lost in his many thoughts.  
  
Even as there came a knock at the door, Mr. Winner's thoughts remained unbroken.  
  
"Father?" Iria asked, stepping into the room.  
  
"Iria, when did you get here?" Mr. Winner questioned, his thoughts finally reaching their conclusion with the interruption.  
  
"A few hours ago. I needed to speak with Quatre first." She explained.  
  
Scowling, Mr. Winner motioned for his daughter to sit in the seat directly across from him at the desk. As she sat, he continued their conversation. "What did you talk about?"  
  
"Mostly how you were keeping him here against his will." Iria said, nonchalantly.  
  
Mr. Winner sighed and looked her in the eyes. "You know perfectly well why I'm doing this."  
  
"Of course I do," Iria replied, "Your plan works very well for what you wish to achieve."  
  
"He'll be safe here." Mr. Winner explained.  
  
"That's not entirely true." Iria argued. "Sure, he'll be safe from being a casualty of war, but he'll never be safe from himself. Haven't you noticed his attitude? You've caused him to become depressed! If anything happened to one of his friends and he found out about it, I don't think he'd let himself live much longer."  
  
"Why are you saying?" Her father snapped, standing up from his chair.  
  
"You can save him from other people but you'll never protect him from himself. If anything happens to one of those 4 boys he calls his friends then Quatre will lose his will to live. After that, he'd just waste away until finally he was lifeless enough to be called dead."  
  
After a moment of silent pondering, Mr. Winner nodded in agreement. "That may be true, in which case I have three options. I can make it so he never learns of their conditions-"  
  
"He'd know," Iria interrupted, "You really haven't noticed, father? Quatre's an empath."  
  
"A what?" Mr. Winner questioned.  
  
"He can feel other peoples' emotions." She explained.  
  
"Are you serious?" Mr. Winner looked at her skeptically.  
  
"I'm not asking you to believe me, I'm just telling you that he would know if any of them got injured or was killed."  
  
"Alright then," Mr. Winner continued, "Then I'll just have to keep them here as well."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Elsewhere in the manor  
  
Quatre limped throughout the length of the mansion, watching everything that happened. If Iria's talk with his father didn't go well, then Quatre would have to be ready to commence his second plan of escape. The only problem was, this one would be a great deal more difficult and dangerous.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Somewhere… not all that far away  
  
Four young Gundam pilots stood in front of the city map at the shuttle port, determined to find what they were looking for. One of them held a stack of smaller maps in his hand and was looking angrily from one of them to the large map with an angry expression on his face. "The map says it's right here!" He exclaimed, pointing to a blank space on the large map.  
  
"There's nothing there, Chang." Duo pointed out, being observant as always.  
  
"There SHOULD be." Wufei snapped, looking at the smaller map again.  
  
"Are you sure you aren't just imagining things?" Duo questioned.  
  
"Be quiet, Maxwell. It's there." Wufei replied, with a deep glare fixed on his annoying friend.  
  
"A cab driver would probably know." Trowa pointed out, silencing both of the feuding pilots.  
  
Hiiro, who was far ahead of all of them, had already hailed a taxi. "Let's go." He called back to them.  
  
As the three other pilots piled in the back, Hiiro spoke with the cab driver. "Winner Estate." He said, simply.  
  
"Ah, long ways there. Not cheap." The driver explained, obviously trying to up the price considering where they were going.  
  
"Fine." Hiiro replied, ignoring this only because getting to Quatre was his top priority.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Winner Estate  
  
Iria sighed and made eye contact with her father. "That's not going to work. You can barely keep Quatre here, do you really think you can keep 5 pilots here against their will?"  
  
"Well," Mr. Winner began, "My only other option is to keep Quatre here alone, letting him get more and more depressed. I can't let him get himself killed in the war."  
  
"Why not?" Iria questioned.  
  
"Iria!" Her father yelled, standing up so quickly he knocked his chair to the ground.  
  
"Would you rather he died feeling he'd done what was right or die feeling useless and depressed?" Iria asked. "If he stays here he's going to die eventually, father. If you let him go live his own life there will still be a chance of him surviving!"  
  
"Everyone dies eventually. I'd rather he died later than sooner." Mr. Winner explained.  
  
"Don't you understand? He's wallowing in a sense of uselessness. Even if you leave him here there's nothing to keep him from killing himself. He's already depressed and angry. He'll try to escape again and again and when he runs out of ideas what do you think he's going to do? Just let you keep him here to live the life you chose for him?" Iria yelled, getting frustrated by her father's answers.  
  
"That's enough, Iria!" He replied.  
  
"No, it's not! Not if you don't understand! Somehow he loved you even when you weren't there for him as a child. Do you think he's going to continue loving you even as you take his life away from him completely? He's going to hate you!" She explained.  
  
"Get out of my house!"  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Outside the door  
  
Quatre stopped outside of his father's office when he heard raised voices.  
  
"Get out of my house!" He heard Mr. Winner yell.  
  
Iria was failing. She was his best chance of leaving this house and she was failing at convincing their father. It seemed like waking up from a nightmare and realizing that the reality was even worse.  
  
Sitting himself outside the door, Quatre listened to the end of their discussion, hoping, despite his instincts telling him not to, that this might end in his favor.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Inside the room  
  
"Don't you understand how much Quatre would love to hear those exact words spoken to him?" Iria asked.  
  
"I don't care what Quatre wants, Iria. It doesn't matter because he apparently isn't old enough to know what he really wants!" Mr. Winner fumed.  
  
"Don't make decisions for him! You know perfectly well he's more intelligent than both of us combined. Let him chose his own life!" Iria yelled, looking into her father's flame-filled eyes with her own still hopeful, but angry nonetheless, eyes.  
  
"He lets his decisions be clouded by his compassion, sometimes rendering him a fool! Until he comes to his senses he isn't going anywhere with those heartless idiots he calls his friends! It's very clear to me their using him and Quatre doesn't notice because he's become naïve from his love of everyone!" Mr. Winner finished.  
  
Iria stared at him for a moment in disgust. "Quatre was right. You are selfish."  
  
"No, Iria. This is for his own good. He'll thank me someday." Mr. Winner explained, his tone calming to a lower level.  
  
"Sure. Once he's died of depression." Iria stood up to leave. "Call me when you've come to your senses. I hope poor Quatre can hold survive until then."  
  
"He'll be fine." Mr. Winner replied, opening the door for her to leave.  
  
As the door opened, Quatre was revealed crouching behind the door.  
  
"Quatre?" Mr. Winner asked. "What are you doing? How long have you been there?"  
  
Quatre looked at him with a tear-stained face. His eyes, however, were no longer filled with tears, but rather rage. For a few moments he just stared at his father, looking deep into his eyes as if searching for some kind of answer.  
  
Then he stood up and embraced Iria. "Thanks for trying." Quatre said simply. He smiled slightly at his sister before walking away.  
  
Mr. Winner stared after him in horror. "What just happened?" He asked.  
  
"Well, father," Iria explained, "It seems he has staring you already."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Outside of the mansion  
  
Duo stared up at the enormous manor in awe. It was even larger in person than it had looked in the pictures. There were countless rooms and windows. Men stood guard everywhere, wearing dark blue uniforms.  
  
The man controlling the mechanical gate watched them curiously. "No loitering, please." He said in a businesslike tone.  
  
"We've come to see Mr. Winner." Hiiro replied.  
  
"Do you have an appointment?" The guard asked, obviously not believing that these four young men could possibly have any business with his master.  
  
"No." Hiiro answered calmly.  
  
"I'm sorry, but if you don't have an appointment, I can't let you in." The guard explained, smiling slightly in a silent mock.  
  
"Really?" Hiiro questioned. In less than a second he had his gun through the bars and to the guard's head. "Are you going to let us in now?"  
  
"Y-yes, sir!" The guard stuttered. "Right away."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
End of chapter  
  
End Notes: I have no clue how long this is considering I'm on a different version of Microsoft Word and it uses different views. I hope it's long ^^* Hope you enjoyed it! Please review! Reviews= inspiration= quicker chapters! Sorry if I don't update for a while! Please forgive poor busy Kattie! huggles  
  
Ja ne! 


	6. Chapter 6: I'll Never Forget That You We...

1 Star's Gaze  
  
Chapter 6: I'll Never Forget That You Were All Here With Me  
  
Kattie  
  
Disclaimer: [At the Gundam owner's Headquarters]  
  
Kattie: dressed as a phantom thief to the owner of Gundam Wing Hand over your rights and nobody gets hurt!  
  
Owner: Never! BWAHAHHA  
  
Kattie: facefault Aw… c'mon! Share the wealth!  
  
Owner: No! BWAHHAHA  
  
Kattie: sniffles and takes off mask I don't own Gundam Wing. points to owner He does.  
  
Owner: BWAHAHHAH!  
  
Note: Oi… sooo much homework…. So many projects…. And only 2 weeks left… Sorry it's taken so long to get this up. I'll try to make it as long as possible… groans even though I haven't finished my 3rd, 4th, and 5th assignment for math… sob  
  
Note: Fanfiction.net was down when I finished this so sorry for the even further delay ^^* Forgive me!!!! I can't do anything about ff dot net being down! grovels at your feet  
  
Dedication: Kit Kat, this one's for you! For your continuous reviews of more than one of my fanfictions! You always write long and meaningful reviews that make me smile! Thank you so much for your support! huggles Be well be well!  
  
  
  
Winner Estate- Peace Zone  
  
Iria and her younger brother sat in silence as she tended to his broken ankle. A hint of displeasure could be detected in her eyes. "You should have had this treated earlier. By walking on it, you've made it worse!"  
  
"I'm sorry." Quatre said quietly, not even bothering to look at her as he was lost in his thoughts. His beautiful blue eyes were focused on his ankle, watching his sister mend it, but not really seeing. The young pilot's mind couldn't stop lingering on his father. The man who had gave him his life and now sought to take it back from him.  
  
The words his father had last uttered still echoed over and over gain in Quatre's mind.  
  
"He isn't going anywhere with those heartless idiots he calls his friends!"  
  
He had said that Quatre's closest and most loved friends were using him. That the people he cared most about in this world were frauds.  
  
Now, Quatre was a forgiving person. He had forgiven his father all those years ago when he was neglected and left alone in his large house while his sisters were sent away to boarding schools. His only friends were the servants and they usually had chores to do and couldn't play with him. That was all right though, Quatre could forgive his father for that.  
  
He could forgive his father for practically disowning him for being a Gundam pilot. It didn't matter that his father had completely insulted Quatre, telling him he was a murderer in a subtle, yet somehow obvious way. His father had told him that the Gundams were like a knife, completely a weapon, and wouldn't even listen to Quatre explain that they were more like shields. That was okay, Quatre could forgive that.  
  
And, deep in Quatre's heart, he knew he could have forgiven his father eventually for locking him up in this house, not allowing him to see the light of day except through a window. Even that, Quatre could forgive.  
  
But this comment was too offensive. It wasn't an insult or mockery against Quatre, but his friends, whose personalities his father remained ignorant of. He assumed a selfish and contemptuous opinion without even speaking with them to gain an opinion. After the incident on the "Lost Hunter", it seemed incredibly naïve. Mr. Winner should at least be grateful for them saving his son's life, but instead he refused to even see them as respectable people.  
  
With those few sentences- few words, Mr. Winner had crossed the line. In Quatre's mind, he had ventured from forgivable to inexcusable.  
  
"Okay, Quatre, I have to put your bone back in place now," Iria explained, looking into her brother's eyes sympathetically, "This is going to hurt so grab on to something and squeeze it really hard."  
  
With a nod, Quatre remained silent, thinking more about his father. He didn't even feel the pain as his bone was placed in its proper position. Only the loud crack broke his trance. He glanced down at Iria to see her wrapping a piece of fabric around the ankle.  
  
"Try to stay off it for a few months, okay?" Iria stood up and kissed Quatre on the forehead.  
  
"I will." He replied, emotionlessly.  
  
Frowning, Iria ruffled her brother's hair under her hand. "Don't worry, I'm sure father will let you out of here soon," She began to walk away, but turned around when she reached the door, "But you might like to know, there's been a security breach. All the guards are seeing to that and might not notice a young blonde pilot sneaking out." Iria gave him an all-knowing smile and left.  
  
"Thank you." Quatre called after her, staring at the door with a grin slowly spreading over his face.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Winner Estate- War Zone  
  
"Y-yes, sir!" The guard stuttered. "Right away."  
  
The cold steel of Hiiro's gun to a man's head always had such rewarding effects. This time didn't seem to be any different.  
  
"Ed!" The guard called to the man controlling the electronically secured gate. "Would you care to let these gentlemen in?"  
  
"Do they have an appointment?" Ed asked, obviously not noticing the gun to his comrade's forehead.  
  
A look of helplessness covered the guard's face. Apparently, he was one of those people who became useless when their life was at stake. A coward. The expression on his face could be read like an obituary.  
  
"Yes." Hiiro grunted, becoming annoyed by the other man's fear.  
  
"Yes!" The guard yelled to Ed. "All five of them!"  
  
"There are four of us." Wufei snapped, setting his glare upon the guard.  
  
"All four of them!"  
  
The gate slid open quickly, like the doors at a grocery store, allowing the pilots passage to Quatre's large house. They stepped inside and immediately drew their guns. Well, except for Hiiro, his was already drawn.  
  
They walked across the yard to the mansion at a fast pace. Each of them watched in different directions, making sure there wasn't some unseen assassin on the prowl. After what seemed like decades of crossing Quatre's enormous yard, they finally reached the front door.  
  
"Open it." Hiiro commanded.  
  
"Hey, Larry! Let me in!" The guard yelled to his comrade, hidden indoors.  
  
"You aren't off until 10 today! There's no way I'm letting you get off early again, Stan!" Larry shouted back, his voice muffled by the door.  
  
Stan fell silent, staring at the door in another attack of idiocy and cowardice.  
  
"Mr. Winner has visitors." Hiiro explained to his moronic hostage.  
  
"Mr. Winner has visitors!"  
  
Larry creaked the door open slowly only to find a gun to his face a second later.  
  
Duo grinned at his captive. "Is Mr. Winner home? We've come to play."  
  
"Oh, there you are." A voice said.  
  
The pilots turned to see Mr. Winner walking gracefully down the stairs. He grinned at them, seeming oblivious to the guns, even though they weren't 50 feet away from him. "I've been expecting you."  
  
Hiiro, who wasn't used to being expected and rather disliked it, scowled at his friend's father. "Where's Quatre?"  
  
"Sleeping." Mr. Winner replied, not missing a beat with his lie.  
  
Letting his gun fall away from Stan's face, Hiiro pointed it at Mr. Winner and fixed a glare upon him. "I'm going to ask you again. Where is Quatre?"  
  
"Do you think you can impress me with your unnecessary firearms?" Mr. Winner asked, walking towards them. "I would have thought you'd be smarter than that. Quatre speaks so highly of you."  
  
"Where is he?" Hiiro snapped.  
  
"If I tell you where my son is, you'll take him away. He'd go back to war and die fighting your barbaric war," Mr. Winner said, calmly, "I'd rather let you shoot me than let that happen."  
  
"Drop your weapons!" A guard entering the room shouted.  
  
From every which way, over 20 more sentinels intruded on Mr. Winner and the pilots' conversation. Their guns were all pointed at the pilots, who in turn had their guns aimed at Mr. Winner.  
  
"Call them off." Hiiro ordered.  
  
Grinning, Mr. Winner took another step towards Hiiro. "Put your weapons down, and they'll let you live."  
  
For a moment, Hiiro just stared at Quatre's father in surprise. "I told you to call them off."  
  
"I know very well what you said," Mr. Winner explained, "I, however, am not going to call them off, so I suggest you set down your weapons. If you kill me, there will be nothing to keep them from shooting you. Go ahead and shoot me. I know you're capable. You've already murdered many people. I'm not going to let you murder Quatre as well."  
  
Duo opened his mouth to protest but Mr. Winner interrupted him-  
  
"Put your weapons down."  
  
Realizing there was no other option, the pilots complied, letting their weapons out of their hands for the first time any of them could recall since the war began.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Winner Mansion- Peace Zone  
  
In the yard, Quatre slid silently out of the vent and onto the grass. It had taken some skill to get the hatch open in his room, using a pen as a screwdriver, but now he was almost free.  
  
There didn't seem to be any guards in the yard at all, as he stealthily ran across the grass. With the hope of freedom so attainable in his mind, Quatre didn't even notice the pain in his ankle, or even think about what his sister had said.  
  
In less than a minute he had scaled the land from the house to the fence and was surprised to see it already open. Trying to ignore the fact, despite a growing fear for his father's safety- despite all his father had done, that this could mean a large number of intruders, Quatre stepped to the land outside of the gates he knew so well and ran down the sidewalk, away from the prison disguised as his home.  
  
A smile made its way to his face as he thought of his friends. 'Hold on a little bit longer, Duo,' he thought, 'I'll be there soon to take care of you.'  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Winner Manor- War Zone  
  
Mr. Winner led the pilots into what looked like a conference room. There was a large table in the center with chair scattered around. There was a small pile of papers near the head of the table, where Mr. Winner sat.  
  
"You don't know how pleased I am that you've come here." He smiled at his "guests".  
  
"Where is Quatre?" Hiiro asked, once again.  
  
"Are those the only three words you know?" Mr. Winner snapped. "Quatre is probably upstairs somewhere plotting another escape so he can get back to you. The last attempt almost cost him his life, yet he still insists that he needs to go back to piloting his Gundam. I don't see why he's so eager to lose his life."  
  
"Is he alright?" Trowa asked, quietly, in his usual monotonous voice.  
  
"He's fine," Mr. Winner replied, "He broke his ankle but that's far less damage than he'd have if he went back to piloting that murder machine. At least he's not dead."  
  
"We would never let Quatre get hurt." Duo protested.  
  
"Not yet," Mr. Winner glared at the pilots, "But eventually he'll end up being a casualty of war. You want to let that happen to him? If you're his friends you'd understand that he is safer here."  
  
"I'd like to let him stay here," Hiiro admitted, "but I can't. We can't win this war without him."  
  
"There are no victors in war. Only the losers who are destined to be sacrificed and those who are condemned as their murderers." Letting his face fall into a smile again, Mr. Winner looked from one pilot to the next, "Why bother fighting at all? You could always stay here with Quatre. He could use some company."  
  
"We're not staying here," Hiiro snapped, "And neither is Quatre."  
  
Sighing, Mr. Winner shook his head with an all-knowing look on his face. "That's where you're wrong. Both you and Quatre are going to stay here. For a very long time."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Elsewhere  
  
After 5 minutes, Quatre still couldn't take his eyes off of the car. The black, quick car, with a crooked license plate. There was nothing inside of it, nor anyone as a passenger or driver. That was what worried Quatre.  
  
This was most definitely the pilots' car. The one they owned on this colony, in case they ever needed to do "business" here. The emptiness meant that the pilots had gone somewhere on this colony.  
  
"But you might like to know, there's been a security breach. All the guards are seeing to that and might not notice a young blonde pilot sneaking out."  
  
Iria's words, which had seemed so wonderful less than an hour ago now struck him as the worst thing that could have possibly been said.  
  
Sure, Quatre had finally escaped. But now the pilots were inside. They had switched places, and it was easier for one person to escape than four.  
  
Interrupting his thoughts was the cold, almost numbing touch of steel to the back of his head. It seemed so familiar, but it was hard to think. The circular touch of an almost freezing metal. Pressed against his head…  
  
A gun.  
  
"Well, in't it a nice surprize ta see ya 'ere, rich boy?"  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
End of Chapter  
  
Notes: Gah- that took forever… Sorry for making you wait. Was it worth it? hides under bed Never mind- I don't think I want to know. But-but-but IT'S LONGER than the last chapters! And it took me like 5 hours so (only 3 of those hours were straight- at the end) GAHHHH! WAIIIT THAT MEANS I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR THREE HOURS STRAIGHT!!! gasp MY MAAAAAAAAATH! runs to do math  
  
Reviews=Inspiration=More chapters! Please review! 


	7. Chapter 7: Be it Ever So Humble, There's...

1 Star's Gaze  
  
2 Chapter 7: Be it Ever So Humble, There's No Place Like Home  
  
Kattie  
  
Disclaimer: reads dictionary Discipliner: One who or that which disciplines.  
  
Discipular: Of or becoming to a disciple.  
  
Discission: In surgery, a cutting apart scrunches nose ewww..  
  
Disclaim: skips  
  
Disclaim (it's in here twice ^^*) To disavow all part of share.  
  
*Disclaimer*: 1. A person who disclaims, disowns or renounces. 2. In law, an express or implied denial or renunciation of certain things in question ^^* 3. A public disavowal, as of pensions, etc…  
  
….. ^.^* ooooook now you all know what I have done by disclaiming my beloveds! glomps G-boys and sobs  
  
Note: Someone asked for a sequel to this sequel. Anyone have something to say on that? I wasn't planning on writing a third (okay I had considered it) but if enough people ask, I have gotten an idea. ^.~  
  
Another Note: After serious thinking for days I've come to the conclusion this fanfiction can probably be read without reading "Bravest Eyes"… a tad confusing at a few parts but it should be alright overall. (Maybe I should put this note in the first chapter ^^*)  
  
Important Note: Fanfiction dot net doesn't like my computer at all- and has set it to crash a lot lately ^^* And so… I haven't been able to put this online. (Plus the whole server issue) No no! I'm not insulting this glorious site! glomps ff.net I wuuuuuuv it! … After writing this I find that the document manager is down… …. ….. sorry for the LONG WAAAIIIIT! sobs sobs sobs I'm trying my best I swear!  
  
Dedication: To Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary!… and CelesteFlame! Go read her fanfics! Go! Shoo! Okay fine, you can read this first if you want. BUT RIGHT AFTERWARDS you have a task ^.~  
  
Thanks: Thank you to the Seattle Police Department for their information on guns ^^* No, not that much information. I'm not researching firearms hours on end for this fanfiction ^^*  
  
  
  
Winner Mansion  
  
"Do you really think that you can keep the five of us locked up in your house?" Hiiro questioned Mr. Winner.  
  
"Of course not," Quatre's father replied, spinning side to side in his chair, "We're not staying here."  
  
"Then where are we staying?" Wufei snapped.  
  
"Earth." Mr. Winner said simply.  
  
Duo shook his head, and let a disbelieving expression come to his face. "Why do you want to keep all five of us? Do you want OZ to win this war? It doesn't matter what you think about war itself, if OZ is not defeated we'll be left with a world dictator who loves death."  
  
"Actually," Mr. Winner began, "Keeping you with me has nothing to do with the war. Quatre's been depressed lately. Maybe you can cheer him up?" He suggested.  
  
"The only thing that could make him happier," Hiiro spat, "Would be his freedom."  
  
Mr. Winner sighed and put a hand on Hiiro's shoulder, ignoring the death glare placed directly on his face. "That is the one thing he can't have."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Not so far away  
  
"Well, in't it a nice surprize ta see ya 'ere, rich boy?"  
  
The voice was familiar. As cheerful as the woman's tone was, it sent a shiver down Quatre's spine. Only months ago he had heard that exact same voice telling him of his fate. A fate which he had somehow escaped.  
  
"Be prepared for a bad suffering this year."  
  
Mizz Naihu. One of the four-person crew on the "Lost Hunter". One of three torturers who had made his time on that ship the most horrible and hurtful in his entire existence.  
  
"See you've gone and remembered ol' Mizz Naihu." Naihu said in a tone that made it clear to Quatre that she was grinning. "Bet you've been dyin' ta spend so'more time with her."  
  
"I don't have time for this right now." Quatre said with a sigh.  
  
"Doesn't matter ta me whether Mizter Rich 'un has time fer Mizz Naihu or not." The pressure of the steel to Quatre's neck increased. "We need ta get ourselves offa the street. Don't want no one recognizing us, do we?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Naihu, but I really don't have the time to be captured right now." Quatre repeated, a hint of annoyance making its way into his voice.  
  
"Did yer ears go gettin' broken while you was away? I don't care if you have time for me or not, you're coming anyway."  
  
Letting his frustration get the better of him, Quatre jerked to the left and spun around, grabbing Naihu's gone right out of her hand. Letting out another sigh, Quatre turned it to face her forehead. "You should hold your gun with both hands," he explained, "Most people in movies only use one hand but the shot is more accurate if you use both. It also helps, if using one hand, to use the hand you write with." Quatre looked Mizz Naihu in the eyes. "You're left handed."  
  
Naihu stared at the gun in horror, going cross-eyed in the process. "I didn't mean nothin', Mizter Winner. Jus' playin'. Mizz Naihu has a regular job now. Working in security now. Good job." She forced a fake grin to her face and let her eyes plead for her life.  
  
Quatre pocketed the gun and grinned at her. "I'm glad to hear that." He looked back at the empty car owned by the Gundam pilots. While falling into his thoughts, still keeping Mizz Naihu's presence amongst them, an idea struck him.  
  
Hiiro wouldn't take his laptop with him on a recovery mission, so maybe, just maybe, it was still in the car.  
  
Quatre dug his hand into his pocket and withdrew it a moment later holding his key to the car. He pushed it into the lock carefully and twisted, causing the lock to click and the button on the inside to change to "unlocked". Quatre opened the door and reached under the seat, hoping to find Hiiro's laptop.  
  
Apparently, Lady Luck likes blondes.  
  
He brought the laptop out from under the seat a few seconds later with a slight grin. Opening the small computer, he was greeted by the machine's mechanical voice.  
  
"Please identify user."  
  
Quatre knew that Hiiro had given him an identification on the laptop, but he'd never been told what it was. Then again, there were only so many ids possible, weren't there?  
  
"Quatre."  
  
"User registered. Please state password."  
  
"….."  
  
Now that was a problem. There could be literally billions of passwords, using a combination of letters and numbers. The password could be in any language from Hebrew to Celtic. It would be almost impossible to guess the password.  
  
"Uh… Sandrock?" Quatre tried.  
  
"Password incorrect. Voice recognized. Login process complete."  
  
There was a short and lively melody that played as the computer loaded the desktop. "Good afternoon, Quatre." The computer stated, after finishing loading. "What would you like to do?"  
  
Resting his fingers on the keyboard a moment, Quatre began typing. "Where is the main power supply on Level Four Colony Cluster?"  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Winner Mansion  
  
There was a knock at the door. "Mr. Winner." A servant poked his head in and looked nervously at his employer.  
  
"Come in." Mr. Winner said, motioning for him to enter the room.  
  
Slowly the servant stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He had a foreboding expression on his face, looking like a man who'd just signed his own papers for execution. "Uh… sir…" The man's voice trailed off as he looked at the four pilots, silently pleading for help.  
  
"What is it, Wesley?" Mr. Winner asked, sounding a little irritated.  
  
"Well… sir… It's about your son…" Wesley's voice trailed off again. Tears came to his eyes when he saw the expression on his employer's face.  
  
"What about Quatre?" Mr. Winner was now focusing all his attention on the young servant. "Did he try to escape again?"  
  
Wesley fell silent for a moment, thinking over how he should answer this carefully. "…Yes…"  
  
"Stupid boy!" Mr. Winner yelled, throwing his fist into the table. "Wouldn't he have learned the first time. Does he really think he can escape with a broken ankle?"  
  
Wesley began fidgeting nervously. "Actually, sir… the problem is… you see… he DID escape…"  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Not so far away  
  
Quatre slowly made his way through the building, stepping carefully over cords. Under his arm he carried Hiiro's laptop. Luckily, it was a Sunday, and there weren't many workers at the Power Plant. Still, what few there were, Quatre made sure to stay away from completely.  
  
As he reached the control room, Quatre was surprised to see Naihu sitting in one of the chairs, watching the screens with interest. "Naihu?" He questioned.  
  
Spinning in her chair, Naihu stared at Quatre with equal confusion. "Mizta Winner? What you be doin' here?"  
  
"I have some work to do." He explained. "You?"  
  
"Mizz Naihu," she began, "Works here. Security officer. Didn' know you been workin' here too."  
  
"Yes, maintenance," Quatre lied, "I need to fix some of the power transmitters."  
  
Immediately, Quatre began connecting Hiiro's laptop to the main computer. Turning it on again, he was very displeased to see the sign in screen again.  
  
"Please identify user."  
  
"Quatre."  
  
"User registered. Please state password."  
  
Again, Quatre wracked his brain for what could possibly be the password. "Winner?" He tried.  
  
"Password incorrect. Voice recognized. Login process complete."  
  
"That mus' be a new system. Never seen such a voice recognition program on a laptop before."  
  
Quatre began typing quickly to finish what he had started. "It's very new."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Winner Mansion  
  
For a moment, Mr. Winner sat still in his chair, staring at Wesley with an expression of shock and disbelief. When he finally regained himself, he stood up and walked over to Wesley, who, in turn, stepped away.  
  
"When did he escape?" Mr. Winner asked, grabbing Wesley's shoulders.  
  
Wesley stared at Mr. Winner in horror. "A-around the time your guests arrived, sir."  
  
"Damn it! He must have gotten away when the guards were seeing to you!" Mr. Winner pointed at the pilots with a fixed glare.  
  
Duo shrugged and grinned at Quatre's father. "I guess that means we've completed our mission."  
  
Looking back to Wesley, Mr. Winner ignored Duo's comment. "Inform the police. He's still underage, therefore we're telling them that Quatre ran away from home. Set up a search party, but hire some new men for security. Tell them if they don't find my son in an hour, they're all fired."  
  
Wesley grimaced at the word "fired". "Y-yes, sir. Right away." The servant left the room with a relieved expression. He was quite pleased at not being fired himself.  
  
Mr. Winner sat down in his chair again, and began massaging his temples. "How could I be so stupid?" He asked himself.  
  
"Do you understand now?" Hiiro questioned, sitting down in the chair next to him. "You can't keep the four of us here for long. If Quatre could escape with a broken ankle, it shouldn't be any problem for us."  
  
"Be quiet!" Mr. Winner snapped, obviously seeing Hiiro's point and disliking it.  
  
Suddenly, the lights flickered and went out.  
  
In the pitch darkness, the movements made couldn't be seen. Only the rustling could be heard and a few voices shouting, possibly from another room. But one thing was certain. Within the minute that the light's stayed off, Mr. Winner had ended up alone in the room.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
End of Chapter ^.^  
  
Sorry it took so long. I hope you liked this chapter. For those of you who figured out that it was Naihu tips hat Good job! (Though I hope this doesn't mean I'm predictable ^^*) See ya next chapter glomps Please review! Reviews= Inspiration= more chapters out more quickly, possibly longer too!  
  
Thank you for reading this! Be happy and well! 


	8. Chapter 8: The Reason for this Misery

Star's Gaze  
  
Chapter 8: The Reason for this Misery  
  
Kattie  
  
Disclaimer: Kattie: clutches disclaimer in fist as lawyers approach You'll never take me alive!  
  
Lawyers: grr Hand over the disclaimer!  
  
Kattie: NEVER!  
  
Lawyers: ready stun gun  
  
Kattie: ^.^***** (uh oh) throws disclaimer over cliff Fetch! BWAHHAHAHAHHA!  
  
Lawyers: use stun gun ZAP  
  
Kattie: falls to ground unconscious I.don't own. Gundam Wing. ^^Zzzzzsnore  
  
Lawyers: That's good enough for us. leave Kattie to her happy dreams of owning Gundam Wing  
  
Note: Ano- someone broke into my AOL account so. ^^* If anyone received weird IMs or e-mails.. It wasn't me! I disclaim them! ^^* Was on vacation so I couldn't update. Gomen gomen!  
  
Another, more ficcie-related, note: Actually most security officers (at least in the U.S.) don't have bullets in their guns ^^* But- ano. this is the future! And, ano.there's a war going on so. they need bullets! nods in satisfaction ^^*  
  
Dedication: To Melara! glomps A great authoress, wonderful nee-chan, and world-class friend huggles. Thanks for the inspiration!  
  
  
  
Naihu stared at the screen of Hiiro's laptop intently, attempting to comprehend what Quatre was doing. After watching for a few minutes, something clicked in her somewhat small brain and she realized what he'd done. "You just took power away from a whole damn block! What the hell're you tryin' ta do? I'm gonna lose my job!"  
  
Not waiting for Quatre to respond, Naihu slammed both of her hands onto his upper arm, causing him to fall out of the chair and sprawl across the floor. She grabbed the laptop and smacked the keys, sending electricity back to the unfortunate block. After completing this task, she turned back to the young Winner pilot and pointed her second gun at him.  
  
"Why'd you do that? Why? WHY?" She screamed, her hand shaking with anger. "Naihu's gonna go gettin' fired! WHY'D YOU DO THAT?"  
  
Quatre looked up at her, his deep azure eyes growing large. "Naihu, put the gun down. You're making a mist-"  
  
"SHUT UP!" Naihu screamed, her whole body beginning to tremble. "I'M GONNA GET FIRED! YOU BASTARD!"  
  
Unable to control her anger any longer, Naihu shot off a bullet.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *   
  
Winner Estate  
  
Mr. Winner looked around the empty room, the annoyance growing within him. He let out a deep sigh and rested his head in his hands. "Wesley!" He called, disappointment making itself clear in his voice.  
  
Wesley poked his head into the room and gave Mr. Winner a weak smile. "Y-yes, sir?" He asked, fidgeting at the prospect of being fired.  
  
"Have the police look for our four guests as well."  
  
Going tense, Wesley offered an even weaker smile. "Uh, sir. We can't exactly have them arrested. they having actually done anything illegal.besides trespassing. but. Sir, I don't think they're going to spend a lot of time searching for one-time trespassers."  
  
"They aren't trespassers, Wesley," Mr. Winner said, calmly, "They're thieves."  
  
"Sir?" Wesley questioned, trying to understand what his employer was saying.  
  
"They've stolen something very precious to me. Tell them that." He explained  
  
"What did they steal?"  
  
"My son, Wesley. They stole Quatre."  
  
And, in a sense, it was true.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *   
  
Somewhere close to the Winner Mansion  
  
Four Gundam pilots tried to walk as quickly as they could without standing out in the crowds that littered the streets in the colony. Hiiro remained in the lead, keeping an eye out for anyone who looked anything like an Oz agent or security guard. Wufei and Trowa were close behind, watching people with intensity equal to Hiiro's.  
  
Lagging behind, poor Duo sauntered forward slowly, trying desperately to keep at the same pace as his comrades. Pretending to be well the entire day had taken a lot out of him, and it was beginning to show. His stomach felt like someone had thrust their fist deep into it, and made it all the way to his back. His legs were screaming at him, trying to explain in a rage that they could no longer hold the weight of his body.  
  
He almost yelled out to the other pilots to ask them to slow down, but at the last minute he decided against it. "Hey guys-" was all he got out before stopping in the act.  
  
"What is it, Maxwell?" Wufei asked, sounding irritated, as usual. "We're in a hurry."  
  
"Uh." Duo wracked his brain for another answer besides the one he had intended to give. Looking in a store window in an attempt to avoid seeing Wufei's death glare, Duo found the ultimate response. "Hey, we're on t.v.!"  
  
Wufei spun around so quickly that Duo almost fell over in surprise.  
  
There, on the television displayed in the electronics store's window, was a picture of the five Gundam pilots. Each one of them had a very close up shot, staring straight out of the screen at Duo and Wufei.  
  
"Hiiro." Wufei called, not taking his eyes off of the screen.  
  
As Hiiro and Trowa stopped to see why their two colleagues had done the same, they focused their gazes on the television.  
  
"Did Oz find us?" Hiiro asked, his voice remaining monotonous even though he had to be feeling something about this.  
  
"I don't know," Wufei replied, "It's muted."  
  
The pictures faded off of the channel and were replaced by the newscaster looking serious and speaking slowly. A caption slowly made its way along the bottom of the screen.  
  
"Breaking news," it read, "Quatre Raberba Winner, heir to the Winner Corporation, was kidnapped from his manor on Level Four Colony Cluster earlier today. Kidnappers identified as four teenaged boys. Pictures caught by security camera."  
  
Images of the four wanted pilots floated onto the screen again, followed by Quatre's smiling face. Each of their names was placed next to their photograph. Luckily, the media had obviously not learned of their true occupations. But even for the five to be seen together by so many people was very dangerous.  
  
"We need to find Quatre and leave the colony immediately." Hiiro stated, turning away from the television.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *   
  
Winner Manor  
  
"Sir." Wesley said cautiously, entering the room once again. 'This time,' he told himself, 'This time for sure I'm going to be fired. Why do I have to tell him all the bad news?'  
  
"What is it, Wesley?" Mr. Winner asked, sounding irritated and tired.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Wesley continued. "The media. they. found out about the past. kidnappings. All of them.Mr. Winner, sir."  
  
"Are you sure?" There was an eerie sort of calmness in Mr. Winner's voice. It made him sound like a cross between an axe-murderer and a late-night disc jockey.   
  
Shivers ran down Wesley's spine. "Y-yes, sir. It's on right now. If you wanted to watch-"  
  
"Why would I want to watch a news report on information that was not supposed to leak to the media?" Mr. Winner snapped.  
  
"I." Wesley paused a moment to think of an appropriate answer, but none came, "I don't know sir."  
  
"The hour is almost up. Please inform the investigators."  
  
"Y-yes, sir." Wesley had to use every ounce of self-control within himself to keep from sprinting out of the room.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *   
  
Not so far away  
  
As they approached the car, Hiiro immediately noticed that something was wrong. Although he couldn't tell what it was exactly at the moment, he was certain that it was true. He turned to look at Trowa, who nodded in agreement.  
  
Both of them drew their guns and approached the vehicle slowly. "Wait." Hiiro said to Wufei and Duo. Duo was happy to cooperate, not sure he could continue even if he wanted to do so, but Wufei looked like someone had taken his katana right out of his hands and whapped him in the head with it.  
  
The lock clicked as the switch inside the car moved to "unlocked". As Hiiro opened the door, Trowa positioned himself to shoot any trespasser. The tinted windows kept them from seeing anyone inside.  
  
When the door finally was pulled open, Trowa could easily see the person who had "broken in". "Quatre?" He asked, letting his gun drop to his side.  
  
"Hn?" Quatre mumbled groggily. Apparently he'd been taking a nap. "Oh, Trowa. Hello." He grinned up at his friend.  
  
Trowa could tell something was wrong with his blonde companion, but he couldn't figure out what it was. The only thing he knew for sure was that Quatre was wearing more layers of jackets then were needed on the semi-warm colony. "Are you alright?" He asked.  
  
"I'm fine, thanks. Are you okay?" Quatre questioned, stepping out of the car while rubbing sleep out of his eyes.  
  
"We're fine." Hiiro answered for Trowa. "We need to leave the colony immediately. Your father told the police we kidnapped you."  
  
For a second, Quatre looked genuinely hurt, but he quickly hid the emotion and nodded to Hiiro. "We can go to Iria's apartment and book a flight there." He explained. "She can take a look at Duo. Maybe she can find out what disease he has."  
  
Hiiro stared at him for a second in silence. "Duo was sick," he said, "But he's alright now."  
  
Duo grinned at Quatre and put a hand on his shoulder. "It was just allergies. Nothing to worry about," His grin grew wider, "They're fine now anyway."  
  
Wufei noticed Quatre wince slightly as Duo touched his shoulder. He probably hurt it in an escape attempt.  
  
Quatre knew that Duo was sick. It didn't matter what he said. Duo probably had convinced himself that he was fine, so there was nothing Quatre could do to convince him otherwise.   
  
Until he had Iria check up on him anyway.  
  
"If you're sure." Quatre smiled back. "I'm glad you're feeling better."  
  
"Let's go." Hiiro interrupted. "We need to get off of the street."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *   
  
In the power plant  
  
Naihu cast her gaze on the floor and tried to focus on the gray tiles that covered it. The janitor had done a poor job, there were dirt specks all over. Some of the tiles had grown green with age. Still, no matter how hard she tried to think about the floor, she couldn't escape the situation before her.  
  
"Naihu." Her employer snapped. "Are you listening to me? We've had so many calls in complaint to your error that we've had to hire 5 extra hands to answer phones! Don't you understand how great your mistake was! You allowed a man to break into the room you were watching and turn of the electricity on a block for a whole minutes! This is a colony, there's no excuse for loss of power!"  
  
"Sir, Mizter Breakin' In Guy had himself a gun!" Naihu explained.  
  
"You have a gun too!" He spat. "And I don't see any bullet holes in you. I'm sorry, Naihu, but I really don't think this is the job for you."  
  
"Sir!" Naihu cried. "He been sayin' he was in maintenance!"  
  
Her boss sighed, and looked her in the eyes. "Did you ask him for his card? If he was in maintenance he'd have a card that told you so."  
  
Sheepishly, Naihu let her head sag. "No, sir."  
  
Her employer placed a hand on her arm. "I'm really sorry, Naihu. But the whole company's in trouble right now. If we don't fire you we'll probably face a lawsuit."  
  
"Mizz Naihu been understandin'. I'll be getting' on my way now." Giving the man a half-hearted smile, she proceeded to walk out of the building.  
  
'Damn Mizter Rich'un," Naihu thought in hatred, 'Shouldn't a missed that shot. Shoulda aimed at his big head. Instead Mizz Naihu just gives him a helluva arm ache. Damn. Well, nothin' better ta do with time.'  
  
'Might as well finish the job.'  
  
End of Chapter  
  
End Notes: Somewhat shorter than usual. And I've gone back to my evil cliffhangers. But. If it makes you feel better, the next chapter should be pretty tear-jerker-ish. Real touching sniff sniff I hope. (this is, of course, if Kattie doesn't screw it up.)  
  
Please review! (if you can ^^*) Reviews are my inspiration! Come my muses in the form of reviews! huggles everyone I love you all! Be well! Be well! 


	9. Chapter 9: Forming an Undying Friendship

Star's Gaze  
  
Chapter Nine: Forming an Undying Friendship  
  
Kattie  
  
Disclaimer: If you say I own Gundam Wing, do I? wonders Hm. holds out multiple boxes of pocky Anyone want some pocky? ^.^ innocent smile Lesse I got strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, every flavor imaginable! All you have to do is say that I own Gundam Wing!!! It's that simple ^.~ chews on chocolate pocky  
  
Lawyers:. it doesn't work that way.  
  
Kattie: It's worth a try! shakes box beguilingly  
  
Lawyers:.(Can I have some?) Kattie: Do I own Gundam Wing?  
  
Lawyers: ;_; That's just not fair! (I don't own Gundam Wing, by the way.)  
  
Note: One break from work, just a sec? glomps all reviewers Such nice reviews last chapter! That really made my er. week ^.^ And Minako9, you're definitely NOT insignificant! I read every review I get and they all mean the world to me (except for those few in Bravest Eyes when people got angry at cliffhangers and were swearing at me ^^****). Thanks for your wonderful comments!  
  
Note: Er. I think I end up REALLY close to shounen ai in this chapter. sweat trickling down face ano. This is still brotherly love! Nothing romantic or sexual about it! wipes face This was a really hard chapter and I haven't the foggiest why. Sorry it took so long but I spent 15+ hours writing and rewriting it ^^*. (Sorry for the antiparagraph problem before ^^* My computer hates ff dot net- probably screwed it up in uploading)  
  
  
  
Iria was more than happy to take the pilots in. "Are these your friends, Quatre?" She asked, looking each of them over, "They're so adorable!"  
  
Wufei, who was not used to being cooed over, stared at her for a moment in fixed horror. "What did you call me, woman?"  
  
Grinning at the Chinese boy/time bomb Iria barely resisted the urge to embrace him. "You're so cute!" Somehow restraining himself from ripping Iria into a million pieces, Wufei managed to calm down to just a hard death glare and a mumbled sentence containing few understandable words. "Stupid."cute". women. if she wasn't Quatre's sister."  
  
Quatre, sensing Wufei's hostility, got straight to the matter that was bothering him. "Maybe you could check up on Duo, Iria," He said, unaware of Duo's look of surprise and fear, "He was sick not too long ago. It might be a good idea to make sure the illness is completely gone."  
  
Turning her attention from Wufei to Duo, Iria eyed him suspiciously. "He looks sick," She observed, talking more to herself than anyone else.  
  
"No I don't," Duo argued, "I looked tired but PERFECTLY healthy."  
  
"You turn pale from lack of sleep?" Iria questioned.  
  
Duo opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted before ever speaking a word.  
  
"It's not very cold and you don't turn pale from exhaustion," She explained, "Let's go inside and see what's wrong."  
  
"Nothing's wrong!" Duo yelled, beginning to panic, "It's just a cold or flu or something! Nothing big! I'll be FINE!" He shouted the last word with all of his might, which he soon regretted as the world began to spin. "Nothing's. wrong."  
  
"Duo, are you alright?" Iria asked, sounding very concerned, "You look dazed."  
  
Duo grabbed Quatre's shoulder for support as he began to lose the strength to stand. "I'm..fine."  
  
Quatre winced as pain shot through his shoulder and both he and Duo crashed to the ground.  
  
"You two," Iria signaled to Hiiro and Wufei, "Help poor stubborn Duo inside." She turned to Quatre. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah," Quatre replied, rubbing his shoulder gently, "He has a strong grip."  
  
Even as he was dragged into the apartment, Duo still continued to protest. "I'm fine," he said again, "I just. tripped!"  
  
Sighing in exasperation, Iria followed the three pilots inside, leaving Trowa and Quatre alone.  
  
As Quatre tried to pull himself to his feet without further damaging his shoulder, Trowa extended a hand to him.  
  
"Are you sure you're alright?" He questioned.  
  
Nodding his answer, Quatre took the offered hand and rose up. "Duo has a strong grip."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Winner Estate  
  
"Mr. Winner," Wesley said timidly, stepping slowly into the room and shutting the door behind him, "I've informed the investigators, sir."  
  
"Good." Mr. Winner replied, rubbing his temples in frustration. "Call Mr. Rent."  
  
"Sir?" Wesley asked, his eyes widening in fear. "You can't mean you want me personally to call him. I mean I'm just-"  
  
"Wesley," Mr. Winner interrupted, "I don't have time for your low self- esteem over-nervous problems. Call Mr. Rent. I want you to do this and I warn you I'm low on patience today."  
  
"Y-yes, sir." Wesley hung his head in defeat. "What do you want me to tell him?"  
  
"Have him come here," Mr. Winner explained, "I need him to do something for me."  
  
"Yes, sir." This time Wesley's self-control wasn't enough, and he did sprint out of the room. 'You know what?' Wesley said to himself, 'Maybe it would be better if he did fire me.'  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Iria's apartment  
  
Wufei and Quatre sat outside of Duo's room in silence. Trowa and Hiiro were both working on Hiiro's laptop, trying to get what parts of the next mission done that they were able. It was kind of awkward being alone with Wufei. They never had much to talk about.  
  
"You should have her look at your shoulder next." Wufei said quietly, shattering the silence. For once his voice had, if only a hint, some compassion, but he was trying desperately to hide it with a monotone. He continued to glare at Quatre in the expression that had become the norm for him.  
  
Quatre, in return, looked surprised that his friend had said this. Making eye contact with him Quatre forced a weak smile and said, "There's nothing wrong with my shoulder. I guess I must have pulled it or something. It's nothing to worry about," He paused a moment to give Wufei a genuine smile. "But thank you for noticing, it means a lot to know you care."  
  
Stepping up to Quatre, Wufei extended a hand and squeezed his shoulder. Blood began to seep through his shirt and Quatre winced in pain. "You should take better care of yourself," Wufei snapped, "Don't confuse honor with stupidity."  
  
Tears shone in Quatre's eyes as he bit his lip in pain. "I-It's fine, Wufei," He stammered as a small droplet slipped from his eye down his cheek, "It's nothing." Wufei went silent for a moment, letting his eyes burrow into Quatre's. Then, with a calmer voice he continued. "Living in pain isn't going to make Duo better."  
  
The silence came again as Quatre sought the words to say. When they came to him, Quatre replied with a trembling voice. "I'll tell Iria when Duo gets a little better. She doesn't have the time or energy to care for both of us."  
  
Wufei nodded in contentment and turned to leave the room. "Wufei," Quatre said quietly, causing Wufei to look back, "Thank you."  
  
Slowly Wufei's face contorted into a rare but beautiful smile. He bowed deeply to his friend in respect. Making eye contact one last time, Wufei exited the room.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * Winner Estate  
  
"Mr. Rent," Mr. Winner said to the man clad in dark attire, gesturing for him to sit, "How was the shuttle?" "Fine," the other man replied immediately, not taking the slightest pause, "There were no problems." He looked Mr. Winner in the eyes as if trying to peer into his soul. "You can call me Teron."  
  
It sounded more like a command than a request. "That's good," Mr. Winner replied, ignoring Teron's stare, "Do you know why I've sent for you?"  
  
Teron fell silent. "No," he said finally, "I'd like to be informed as soon as possible."  
  
Grinning slightly, Mr. Winner pulled his wallet out and removed a photograph. He tossed it nonchalantly on the table next to Teron. "This is my son, Quatre." He explained.  
  
Teron took the picture and looked it over. "Your heir?" He questioned.  
  
Mr. Winner nodded. "Quatre is the future president of Winner Corporation."  
  
Pocketing the photo, Teron grinned at Mr. Winner, exposing yellow, rotting teeth. "What do you want me to do?"  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * Iria's apartment  
  
Trying to be discreet, Trowa slipped onto the space on the couch next to Quatre. All four of the healthy pilots were now in the room next to Duo's. Trowa sat nervously by his friend until he finally gathered up the courage to speak his mind. "It was." he paused to think of the right word, ".Lonely. without you." Even saying this, Trowa's voice was void of emotions.  
  
Quatre looked back at Trowa and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're still having trouble talking to them?" He questioned.  
  
Trowa nodded slightly and moved his gaze to where Wufei and Hiiro were talking across the room. "We only spoke about you."  
  
"Maybe," Quatre thought for a moment before coming up with an idea, "You should tell them how you feel." Taking Trowa's hand, Quatre stood up, taking Trowa with him. "I'll be right beside you."  
  
Frowning, Trowa took a few steps towards the other pilots, before stopping again. "What should I say?" He asked.  
  
"What you just told me." Quatre answered, pulling Trowa a few more feet until he began walking again for himself. They stopped in front of Wufei and Hiiro. Without hesitating, in case he changed his mind, Trowa spoke, "We should talk more."  
  
For a moment they both just stared at Trowa, as if he were crazy.  
  
"Why?" Wufei asked at last.  
  
Realizing he didn't have an answer to the question, Trowa looked over at Quatre for help.  
  
"Because," Quatre replied, smiling comfortingly at his friend, "We'll all get very lonely if we don't talk to each other," he explained, "If we can't even speak to each other, we'll never be able to trust each other." "You don't tell us anything," Wufei said quietly, so only Quatre could hear, "We can't trust you to take care of yourself."  
  
Quatre's smile faded instantly and he could feel his cheeks burning. "I do take care of myself." He muttered. "What do you want to talk about?" Hiiro asked, not taking kindly to the conversation.  
  
Trowa's confidence wavered. "I don't know."  
  
Standing up, Hiiro walked towards the door to Duo's room. "Tell me when you do know." He disappeared into the room without another word, closing the door behind him.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * Inside Duo's room  
  
When Hiiro entered the room, Iria was hunched over the bed in deep thought. She didn't seem to notice Hiiro's presence at all.  
  
"Is he alright?" Hiiro asked, causing Iria to nearly fall over in surprise.  
  
"I don't know what he has, yet." She explained, attempting to regain her composure.  
  
Something was troubling Iria and Hiiro could tell. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I need more equipment if I'm going to figure out what's wrong with him," Iria blurted, looking more stressed than ever, "but my hospital is on another colony. We could take a shuttle but I don't have enough cash on me to get us all there," She explained. "Father's frozen my account and Quatre's so neither of us can get money out. There's nothing I can do unless we get to that colony. but shuttles are very expensive."  
  
"I can get the money." Hiiro said, interrupting Iria's spoken thoughts.  
  
She looked up at him with a mixed hope and disbelief. "You have that much money with you?"  
  
"No," Hiiro said automatically, "But I can get enough if I sell my laptop.(1)"  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
A few minutes later Hiiro exited the apartment through the back door of the building in search of a computer store.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * Meanwhile... Coming through the front door  
  
Naihu slid her sunglasses off as she reached the correct apartment in the large building. She couldn't help but grin at the prospect of getting her revenge on the stuck up Winner boy. Just thinking of him lying lifeless on the floor covered by a Persian carpet only he could afford with two bullets planted firmly in his chest made her giddy. It was difficult to keep from giggling out loud.  
  
Slowly approaching the door, Naihu clicked the safety on her gun off, leaving it ready to fire. She gently rapped her fist against the door as she licked her lips in anticipation. 'Ready or not, Rich 'un,' She thought, 'here I come.'  
  
(1) With all of that high tech stuff on Hiiro's computer, including the voice password, etc. his laptop would probably be worth a ton of money. ^.~ In't Hii-chan sweeeeet?"  
  
End Notes: So, what'd ya think? Anyone feeling warm inside? Does Kattie's life have meaning? No flames please! hides under bed I'm really nervous on how this turned out so please review and tell me what you think. even if it's not good .  
  
Reviews= Inspiration= Quicker Chapters. unless of course. those reviews are flames. ^^* 


	10. Chapter 10: The Darkness is Becoming Dir...

Star's Gaze  
  
Chapter 10: The Darkness is Becoming Dirty  
  
Kattie  
  
Disclaimer: sun tanning Gah! There's no suntan lotion on my back! panic panic I can't get suntan lotion on my back! I'll BURN!  
  
Sun: Burn, baby, burn!  
  
Kattie: ;_;  
  
Lawyer: ^___^ I'll put the suntan lotion on.  
  
Kattie: *o* Arigato!  
  
~20 minutes later~  
  
Kattie: Hm? sniff sniff burning flesh? GAH MY BACK IS BURNING! turns around the words "I Don't Own Gundam Wing" are written in the only unburned part CURSE YOU LAWYER!  
  
Lawyer: ^.^v  
  
Note: nerves twitch I give up throws down hat I'm not going to explain myself any more! I'm sorry if you disagree with my spelling of Hiiro but the majority of people don't care. SOOO I stand by my spelling until the end. If you dislike this I apologize but please don't bug me about it because I have better things to do than waste time getting angry. ^.^  
  
Note: I used Quaterine instead of the dubbed Catherine. There was ALREADY a Catherine in the series so I'd rather not confuse people who have only read Episode Zero in Japanese. (Quaterine is Quatre's mommy) ^.^  
  
Thanks: Thanks to Encarta Encyclopedia for helping me learn more about Duo's disease ^.~.  
  
Question!: Someone offered to be a beta reader but I can't find the review anymore! If it's you, please e-mail me at Kattie41@aol.com! Thank you! (and sorry ^^*)  
  
Dedication: Gosh, I just gotta dedicate another chapter to Melara. huggles She's been here since the beginning offering support and help ^.^ Thanks Mel-san! Go read Melara's works! She is VERY inspiring. huggles Mel-san (Penname- Melara)  
  
  
  
Cold steel pressed to the back of Naihu's neck ended her moment of giddiness. It was pushed forcefully against the pressure point enough to make it sore, certain to leave a bruise, but not to hard as to knock her unconscious.  
  
The door was opened almost immediately after by the object of Naihu's hatred, who was also pointing a gun at her. "Drop your weapon."  
  
"Bastard." Naihu spat, letting her gun fall to the ground.  
  
Jabbing the firearm farther into Naihu's neck, the unseen gunman said his words with an icy tone that sent shivers down her spine. "Apologize."  
  
Naihu laughed insanely, in spite of the situation. "Mizter Rich 'un can't take the truth? Best be told more often. Always a good idea to face the truth."  
  
"Let's bring her inside." Quatre said, for once sounding a bit irritated.  
  
The gun was lifted from Naihu's neck and the gunman pushed Niahu into the apartment. She had no doubt that the gun was still aimed at her, although she no longer had proof. Testing the theory didn't seem like the best idea at this time.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The Other Room  
  
"Duo," Iria said calmly, mopping his forehead with a washcloth, "When did you begin feeling sick?"  
  
Groggily, Duo opened his eyes and rolled them up to look at her face. "Dunno. A couple of weeks ago?"  
  
'Leave me alone,' Duo thought, though not quite sure he had the ability to think clearly, 'I just want to sleep.'  
  
"Were you on earth around that time?" Iria questioned.  
  
Duo closed his eyes, intent on ignoring her to go back to his nap.  
  
"I'm sorry, Duo," Iria's voice said, as her hands began massaging his temples, "But this is important. I'll let you sleep for as long as you want after this.  
  
With a sigh, Duo forced his eyes open. "Yes. we went to a forest."  
  
"Do you know if you were bit by any mosquitoes while you were there?" Iria asked, seeming interested at his last response.  
  
"I don't know." This time when Duo closed his eyes, they remained that way for a long time.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The First Room  
  
Wufei looked up from the newspaper he was reading and glared at Naihu. "Who is the woman?" He questioned, obviously displeased at her presence.  
  
"Mizta Rich Bastard's friend got no right ta talk ta me like that!" Naihu snapped.  
  
"Quiet." Hiiro ordered, whapping the back of Naihu's head with the gun again. Again he did this lightly enough to leave her conscious.  
  
"Mizz Naihu c'n say whatever the Hell she wants! Mizta Rich 'Un c'n go to Hell if'n he gives a damn!"  
  
Quatre plopped down on the sofa with a sigh. "What are we going to do with her?" He watched the annoyance of a woman yell at Wufei. "If we let her go, she'll probably continue in her attempts to kill me."  
  
"We could kill her." Hiiro offered as he slammed his gun into the back of her neck, this time making her lose consciousness. "She deserves it. Especially after what she did to you." Rage gleamed in Hiiro's eyes as he remembered the events on the Lost Hunter.  
  
Shaking his head, Quatre barely suppressed a grin. "She's not a bad person. I did make her lose her job. It's understandable for her to be angry with me."  
  
Setting Naihu down on a chair, Hiiro began to bind her hands behind her back. "We can't allow her to go free."  
  
Quatre stood up to help Hiiro secure Naihu. "We can keep her here," he explained, "Until we live. She won't know where we're going."  
  
The door to the next bedroom creaked open and Iria stepped out. Ignoring both the tied up woman and the expressions of anticipation on the pilots' faces, she walked to the kitchen and began making herself a cup of tea. "Would anyone like some tea?" She asked, obliviously.  
  
"Is Duo alright?" Quatre questioned, spitting out the words that each pilot held within.  
  
Iria cautiously set the kettle on the stove. "He's fine for now," she explained, "But he definitely still has the disease, whatever it is. I should be able to figure out what it is as soon as I get to my hospital," Iria looked over at the pilots as she spoke the last words, "He shouldn't pilot until then. It could make him worse than he already is."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Nearby. VERY near by.  
  
Mr. Teron Rent watched the situation unfold, intently. He knew now that his time working for Mr. Winner was over. The information he'd just gained was worth far more than Mr. Winner was paying him. It was practically priceless. It could turn this war in Oz's favor so easily it almost made Teron giddy.  
  
Almost. Teron wasn't the type of guy to get giddy.  
  
Now all that was left to do was make his way to an Oz base and tell them the exact location of the five young Gundam pilots. He could tell them what they looked like, their personalities, and the vital information of the one pilot's illness.  
  
He would go down in history. It was all clear in his head. A portrait of Teron in a Museum of Space History, and under it a caption explaining Mr. Rent's critical part in the war.  
  
It was almost enough to make a man giddy.  
  
Almost.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The Winner Estate  
  
Mr. Winner stared lovingly at the photograph of his dear Quaterine. She was always so beautiful, in appearance and in soul. Her kindness seemed to radiate across the universe. Everyone who met her seemed to love her instantly. Who wouldn't love such a wonderful woman?  
  
She was the most extraordinary woman ever to live. She spread joy everywhere she went. However, when Quaterine died, she left the universe with a gift. She left behind Mr. Winner's precious son Quatre to take her place in lighting up the darkness of humanity.  
  
There was no way a gift like that would be destroyed. Not by war, nor by anything else. Anyone who opposed this deserved whatever misfortune fell upon them.  
  
But if he wanted to risk being hurt himself, was it right to keep him chained up, even for his safety? Could an angel be chained in the safety of Heaven, lost in a hidden agony, to keep it free from the horrors of Hell?  
  
Pushing aside these thoughts, Mr. Winner smiled at his deceased wife. "Am I doing the right thing, Quaterine?" He asked, before kissing the picture gently. "Am I being a good father?"  
  
Of course, the photograph offered no reply.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
With the announcement that Duo was fine (at least, for now) given, Wufei set his death glare on Quatre. Quatre had made him a promise and Wufei fully intended to make Quatre keep it.  
  
Noticing the eyes burrowing into his face, Quatre looked back at his companion. As realization dawned upon him, he mentally yelled at himself for what he'd have to admit.  
  
"Do you need to continue watching Duo?" Wufei asked Iria, as she continued making her tea.  
  
Iria shook her head. "He should be asleep for awhile," she explained, "I'll check up on him in half an hour or so."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Quatre broke his eye contact with Wufei and looked up at his sister. "Iria." He said, meekly.  
  
"Hm?" Iria questioned, not bothering to turn around.  
  
"Maybe you could. look at my shoulder." Quatre suggested, feeling worse and worse.  
  
With this, Iria left the tea, and turned to face her brother. "What's wrong with your shoulder?" She questioned accusingly.  
  
Inwardly wincing, Quatre continued. "It was. shot. earlier today."  
  
The expression on Hiiro's face could have stopped an army of men dead on their tracks, and caused them to retreat from battle screaming like little girls. If looks could kill, not even a cat could survive this expression.  
  
"Quatre." Hiiro said angrily, standing up so quickly from his chair that it fell over. "Why didn't you say something earlier?"  
  
Trowa didn't show emotion very often, and even now his anger wasn't apparent on his face. But there was a glow around him that reeked of rage. The fury in this room could have filled an ocean.  
  
"You should have told us." He said coldly.  
  
"Take better care of yourself!" Hiiro snapped.  
  
"You need to be more careful." Trowa added.  
  
Suddenly Quatre felt very, very small. He was the shortest pilot to begin with, but now he felt like an ant, waiting to be flattened by a shoe. "Iria needed to take care of Duo." He offered, lamely.  
  
"That's no excuse!"  
  
"You should have told us."  
  
"Boys!" Iria screamed, somehow raising her voice above both Hiiro and Trowa's. "You can rightfully yell at him later. Right now, he needs his shoulder looked at." She pulled Quatre into the other room stating that the pilots needed to watch her tea.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Half an hour later  
  
Quatre stepped slowly back into the sitting room, looking like a man walking to the gallows.  
  
His shoulder was bandaged but it hadn't taken any extreme damage. He'd been lucky. The previously injured ankle was again in a cast. This time Iria had given him the orders that he could only walk on it when using the crutches, which were tucked under his armpits.  
  
Much to his surprise, neither Hiiro nor Trowa noticed his entrance. They were both busy glaring at Wufei.  
  
"You knew and you didn't say anything?" Hiiro asked Wufei, as if this were almost impossible to believe.  
  
"It was Quatre's choice whether he wanted to tell you or not." Wufei explained, glaring back equally as hard.  
  
"He could have died from blood loss." Hiiro snapped. "Your silence could have killed him."  
  
"It wasn't for me to tell." Wufei spat back.  
  
"Damnit, Wufei! You knew he wouldn't say anything! Quatre might have let himself die before telling people about it!"  
  
"It would be his choice! He promised me he'd tell one Duo was better!"  
  
"What if Duo's condition hadn't improved for days?"  
  
"Then Quatre's sister wouldn't have had the time to care for them both anyway!"  
  
Hurrying over to his friends in hopes of ending the argument, Quatre tried to go as quickly as he could on crutches. Unfortunately, he'd never used crutches before, and in the rush he fell to the ground.  
  
The other three pilots in the room drew their guns mechanically and pointed them at Quatre. As soon as they saw who he was, their guns dropped to their sides.  
  
"Are you alright?" Trowa asked, helping his blonde companion up.  
  
"I'm fine." Quatre replied sourly.  
  
Wufei and Hiiro continued to glare at each other.  
  
"Don't blame Wufei." Quatre said, interrupting their silent war. "I asked him not to tell."  
  
"He should have said something anyway." Hiiro objected.  
  
"No I shouldn't have." Wufei retorted.  
  
"Stop." Quatre said quietly. "Don't fight."  
  
"You don't keep things like this secret!"  
  
"A person should keep all secrets!"  
  
"Not at the cost of someone's life!"  
  
"Stop it!" Quatre yelled, silencing Wufei and Hiiro. "If I'm going to make you angry with each other, I should just go back to my father's!"  
  
End of Chapter  
  
Sorry this chapter took so long to get out! It took a while to get Naihu into the apartment ^^*. I'll try not to make you wait so long again. bows  
  
So, how'd you like it? Please let me know with reviews! Reviews= inspiration= quicker chapters! 


	11. Chapter 11: The Never-Ending Future

Star's Gaze  
  
Chapter 11: The Never-Ending Future  
  
Kattie  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
Kattie: Gather 'round! Gather 'round!  
  
Pilots: gather 'round  
  
Kattie: You know when you asked me why I don't have any baby pictures of you?  
  
Pilots: nod nod  
  
Kattie: And you asked if you were adopted?  
  
Pilots: nod nod  
  
Kattie: Well... you weren't adopted.  
  
Pilots: gasp  
  
Kattie: You were stolen mercilessly! BWAHHAHAHAHHAHAH!  
  
Pilots: O.o  
  
Kattie: But... the time has come! opens door I don't own you! Now that you know that you are FREE!  
  
Miscellaneous company that owns part of Gundam Wing: Hey! What a sec!  
  
Pilots: run to freedom  
  
Company: ;.; NOOOO!  
  
Note: I. now have more reviews. that all 14 chapters of Bravest Eyes! In only 10 chapters! tears roll down cheeks You guys are the greatest! glomps everyone and hands out free pocky Well. I'm inspired. I've got one request for a third. I'm not sure if three would be pushing it or not though. What do YOU think? (I don't care either way ^^*)  
  
Note: Er. another Episode Zero reference ^^*. If you want a summary of Episode Zero from me I'll send it to you (Kattie41@aol.com). The quote used is from Viz's translation.  
  
Dedication: To Cynical! Thanks for being my beta reader! glomps Yay! Now no one will have to deal with my typos!  
  
  
  
  
  
The anger that floated in the room was enough to send a bird crashing to the ground mid-flight. It was like a barrier, keeping out all emotions but this one negative feeling. It was so thick, it was hard to breathe.  
  
Or maybe that was because of the temperature suddenly increasing at a rapid pace.  
  
It took all the courage within Quatre's being to keep from creeping under a chair and hiding from his three friends. But Quatre's own anger was very strong, and anger brings strength. With all Quatre's anger, this could have made him Mr. Universe.  
  
And then, after a moment that seemed like a lifetime, the yelling game called "friendship" continued.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING?!"  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!"  
  
"You're never going back there!"  
  
The wind created by their voices at such a high volume tousled Quatre's hair. He stood firmly in front of them, not allowing his body to cringe, although God knew he wanted to. Only Quatre's iron resolve and the knowledge that what he was saying was true kept him from giving in. "It's not worth being here if I'm just going to make you argue with each other!"  
  
"Quatre," Trowa said calmly, "We're only arguing because we're worried about you. If you went back to your father's house we'd only end up arguing more from worry."  
  
Quatre looked thoughtful for a moment, letting a shadow fall over his face as he cast his gaze on the floor. "I'm not so sure." he replied quietly.  
  
That was the last straw for Hiiro. The anger that was growing greater and greater inside of him finally erupted in one swift movement. His hand was connecting with Quatre's face before anyone knew what was happening. If the impact of the slap [1] hadn't hurt Quatre, the noise from the connection surely would hurt his ears.  
  
Staggering backwards, Quatre collided with the wall and began sinking to the ground. There was a bright red mark in the shape of a hand across his cheek from the force of the blow. Quatre's own hand reached up to touch the mark automatically. He looked at Hiiro, his eyes brimming with tears, but remained strong, not allowing the tears to leave their azure prisons.  
  
Hiiro was looking at Quatre with the same death glare as always, but there was a hint of regret, as if he knew he needed to hurt Quatre to get his point across but would rather drown than actually do it. "Don't be stupid," Hiiro snapped, silently willing himself to continue with all his strength, "We need you, as a pilot and a person. Don't you realize what would happen if you went back? Have some pride in yourself."  
  
With the sentence, Quatre's eyes grew wide and looked as if they were seeing into some alternate universe. His expression was one of horror and realization.  
  
**Flashback**  
  
Quatre touched his fist to his cheek protectively, glaring at Rashid. This conversation was between he and his father, and this man had nothing to do with it. He had no right to end their conversation, especially by slapping his face. "Wh-What was that for?!" Quatre asked, glaring at Rashid.  
  
Rashid was glaring back equally as hard. "I don't know what your problem is," he snapped, "But have some pride in yourself."  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
The tears began to flow freely down Quatre's face as he realized he had completely left behind the lessons he learned from Rashid in becoming a Gundam Pilot. He began trembling and buried his face in his hands to muffle the sobs.  
  
"Quatre.." Hiiro said softly, kneeling down in front of his friend.  
  
Hiiro's words seemed to float across the room, never reaching Quatre's ears. Quatre began shaking violently and gasped for air between the deep sobs.  
  
"Quatre," Hiiro repeated. Panic seemed to take over when Quatre offered no response. "Quatre, are you all right?" he asked, his voice sounding urgent. "I'm sorry. Are you all right?"  
  
As Quatre continued crying, Hiiro took the smaller boy into his arms in an attempt to comfort him. "I'm sorry." Hiiro repeated. "Don't cry."  
  
For a few moments, they just sat there, Hiiro holding Quatre while Quatre cried into Hiiro's shirt. It was a rare contact for Hiiro. He could never recall embracing anyone before. If the circumstances had been different, Hiiro might have found it comforting.  
  
And then, the moment passed. Quatre rose shakily to his feet, freeing himself from Hiiro's strong hold. His eyes were void of emotion but were pink and puffy from the emotion of sadness shown clearly the previous minute. He slowly walked across the room and stopped in front of the door to Duo's room. "I need to check up on Duo," Quatre explained in a mumbled voice.  
  
He turned the doorknob and was about to step in when he hesitated. "Don't be sorry," Quatre said quietly, "Hiiro."  
  
With a step Quatre was gone.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
In a busy office  
  
  
  
Mr. Winner fumbled through his letters, letting his eyes drift to the return address to see which were the most urgent and needed to be opened first. There were over a dozen that had arrived just in the last hour, but that was pretty good. As he looked through the letters, one in specific caught his eye.  
  
It didn't have a return address.  
  
Most of the time, when people sent him messages without return addresses on the envelope, they had something to hide. Usually, it was a death threat, but on rare occasions there were harmful items inside in an attempt to hurt Mr. Winner.  
  
Cautiously, Mr. Winner set the letter down, and cut it open with a knife, so his hands wouldn't have to touch it if there was something hazardous inside. Taking pliers, he reached inside the envelope and pulled a small post-it note out.  
  
Realizing that this probably would do him no harm, Mr. Winner took the note in his hands and began reading it.  
  
  
  
It read:  
  
  
  
I have found a new occupation.  
  
I've never been a good delivery boy.  
  
Maybe I should try being an informant?  
  
-Teron  
  
Mr. Winner stared in horror at the message in front of him. To some people this would have seemed like a moronic attempt at a threat, but Mr. Winner knew immediately what Mr. Rent meant by this. "Wesley!" he yelled.  
  
Wesley stepped meekly into the room and looked wide-eyed up at his employer. "Uh, sir. my letter of resignation is on your desk. I'm just going home now. sir."  
  
"We don't have time for you to quit now, Wesley!" Mr. Winner snapped. "You can quit tomorrow!"  
  
Sighing, Wesley attempted to find the right words to explain this to Mr. Winner. "No, sir. you see. I'm going home. Because I don't work for you anymore."  
  
"That's good and fine, Wesley. But I need Quatre found by the end of the day. Hire anyone and everyone. This is very important."  
  
Wesley hung his head in defeat. "Yes, sir.." Turning to leave, Wesley was stopped by his employer's voice.  
  
"He's in danger, Wesley. Quatre's in grave danger."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Oz HQ  
  
Colonel Itsa looked Teron over carefully. "You say you know the location of the Gundam pilots and have information on who they are," he stated. "But why should we trust you?"  
  
Teron grinned back. "What would be the point of lying? It wouldn't be worth setting a trap, everyone knows that Oz's forces could smother the 5 pilots. It would be too risky to come to you with a decoy location."  
  
Satisfied with the answer, Itsa leaned back in his chair. "I'm listening."  
  
"The Gundam Pilots are situated at this exact address," Teron explained, handing a piece of paper to the colonel, "I can't tell you the names of each pilot but one I am certain of."  
  
Itsa raised his eyebrows in interest. "Who is that?"  
  
Teron's maniacal grin returned. "This is very valuable information," he said wryly, "I would expect to receive generous compensation.."  
  
"Yes, yes, of course!" Itsa replied, anxious to hear all that Teron had to say.  
  
"Well, this one pilot is very interesting," Teron continued, "The pilot of the Gundam Sandrock. You'd think all the pilots would be unheard of people living in some tiny, unknown town." He looked Itsu in the eyes. "But this pilot is actually pretty well known. It's amazing that your intelligence hasn't realized his identity yet."  
  
"Not yet," Itsa agreed, "But very soon."  
  
Reaching into his pocket, Teron removed the photograph Mr. Winner had given him and handed it to Itsa. "Quatre Raberba Winner, future president of Winner Corporation."  
  
Itsa grinned this time, and shook Teron's hand. "This is wonderful news, Mr. Rent!"  
  
"Please," Teron said arrogantly, "Call me Teron."  
  
There was a loud gunshot and Teron fell to the ground with a bullet through his head.  
  
Itsa pocketed his gun and smiled at his work. "Moron," he said to the corpse, "Did you actually think we could let you live with this information? The pilots' location is very. important to us. If someone found out we knew and informed them, they would leave very quickly and it would all be for naught." He looked over the picture and ripped it up. "As for your other little "fact"... You must be the stupidest man alive to believe the Winner heir could be a pilot."  
  
A small figure stepped slowly into the room. "Colonel Itsa, sir?" it said meekly.  
  
"Hm?" He turned to face the young girl. "Oh. Yes, Suki?"  
  
Taking a deep breath, Suki spoke her next sentence in a rush, as if playing a game where the objective was to finish the sentence in one breath. "Mommy went away to do some business but she said she'd be back really soon and she's sorry for not telling her yourself but she was in a hurry."  
  
"Thank you," Itsa grinned, "Could you inform the janitors that this room needs to be cleaned?"  
  
Eyeing the bloody mess of a man on the ground, Suki nodded. "Maybe I should get three?"  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Duo's Room  
  
The first thing Duo saw when he opened his eyes was Quatre, sleeping on a chair next to his bed. There was a handprint on one of his cheeks accompanied by multiple tearstains. 'What happened while I was asleep?' Duo wondered. '.How LONG was I asleep?'  
  
There was a creak as the door was opened and Trowa stepped in. He blinked at Duo, his very discreet way of showing surprise, and sat down in a chair across from Quatre, on the other side of the bed.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Trowa asked.  
  
Duo shrugged slightly but winced at the pain it caused. 'Note to self, no sudden movements. ouch.' "Okay. I still have a headache and I'm really tired, but it's better than before."  
  
Trowa nodded. "That's good."  
  
Absolute silence followed. The only noise in the room was Quatre's deep and peaceful breathing. It seemed wrong that there weren't crickets chirping in the background. Even a graveyard wasn't this quiet.  
  
"So." Duo said, feeling uncomfortable in the silence, "How are you doing?"  
  
"Fine." Trowa replied.  
  
'You could answer with more than one word.' Duo thought bitterly. "What happened?" he asked, gesturing towards Quatre.  
  
"He had an argument with Hiiro," Trowa answered, oblivious to the fact that Duo wanted to know more.  
  
"And?" Duo questioned.  
  
Trowa blinked again. ". Quatre got upset."  
  
Duo sighed but winced in realizing that hurt too. "What were they fighting about?"  
  
"." Trowa was silent for a moment. "Quatre thought he should go back to his father's."  
  
"WHAT?!" Duo began to fall off the bed from leaning over, but luckily Trowa caught him and placed him back onto it.  
  
". A lot happened while you were asleep," Trowa explained.  
  
"What did you guys do?" Duo asked accusingly. "What did you do that would make him want to go back to that place?"  
  
". Quatre was shot in the shoulder-"  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"But he didn't want to say anything because he didn't think Iria would have time to take care of you both-"  
  
"THAT MORON!"  
  
"But Wufei found out-"  
  
"Lucky for Quatre!"  
  
"But he didn't say anything-"  
  
"THAT MORON!"  
  
"And Hiiro was angry because Wufei didn't say anything-"  
  
"Good for Hiiro!"  
  
"But Quatre got upset because they were arguing-"  
  
"His opinion on this doesn't matter."  
  
"And he said he should go back to his father's-"  
  
"That moron!"  
  
"And Hiiro slapped him."  
  
"WHAT?! THAT MORON!" Duo yelled, as the strange tale was concluded.  
  
"Quatre's sleeping," Trowa said quietly, "We shouldn't wake him."  
  
Even as Trowa said this, Quatre was moving in his sleep. Droplets of sweat formed on his forehead and he began shaking his head side to side violently. "No.." he muttered.  
  
Trowa and Duo stared intently, not sure what they should do.  
  
"Leave him alone." Quatre murmured. "Stop it.."  
  
Leaving his chair behind, Trowa walked over to Quatre and shook him gently. "Quatre, wake up."  
  
"Leave him alone." Quatre continued, "He hasn't done anything.."  
  
"Quatre, wake up," Trowa said, louder this time, shaking Quatre more strongly.  
  
"NO!" Quatre screamed as his eyes shot open.  
  
He looked around in fear and breathed deeply. A look of horror was placed firmly on his face and he was shaking a bit. His eyes wandered around the room and stopped on Duo. "You're awake," he said with a smile.  
  
Duo stared at Quatre for a moment, dumbfounded. "Did you have a nightmare?" He asked, finally.  
  
Quatre's smile disintegrated. "Yes. I'm sorry, was I talking in my sleep?"  
  
"Maybe you should tell us about it?" Duo suggested. "It might make you feel better."  
  
"No," Quatre waved it off, "I'm fine. I shouldn't have fallen asleep so soon after eating," he explained. "Are you feeling better?"  
  
Trowa and Duo exchanged a look. Both of them were a little bit curious about the dream. They wanted to know what could scare Quatre so much. Quatre, who couldn't be scared by Hiiro's death glares, guns pointed at his head, and even going into situations that seemed suicidal.  
  
They wanted to know what the person was doing in the dream. They wanted to know what had happened.  
  
But most importantly, they wanted to know who he was.  
  
Both of them remembered the last time Quatre had had a nightmare. Unlike small children, Quatre's worst dreams seemed to come true.  
  
And the last time, it had almost killed him.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Nearby  
  
The clerk handed Hiiro his money with a smile. "Thank you for your business. I hope you use Colony Computers for all of your future computer buying.. and selling needs."  
  
  
  
End of Chapter  
  
Phew, longest chapter yet! 2,813 words!  
  
[1] I know, I'd never picture Hiiro as the slapping type. But he cares about Quatre (in a brotherly way, unless you like shounen ai... I'll let you choose how it is) and would never punch him... I think... At least I don't think he did in the series thinks well... He definitely wouldn't now! ^^*******  
  
Please review if you have the time! Reviews give Kattie a happy face!  
  
Kattie: pulls lips into smile despite the fact that it's one am and she's very sleepy from writing  
  
Reviews= Inspiration= Quicker Chapters!  
  
By the way, I think there are only two or three chapters left ^^* Please tell me what you think about a sequel!!!!!!!!! 


	12. Chapter 12: Freedom in the Sky

Star's Gaze  
  
Chapter 12: Freedom in the Sky  
  
Kattie  
  
Disclaimer: Kattie: holds up neko I own neko. Is this correct?  
  
Lawyer: nods  
  
Kattie: holds up pen I own pen, right?  
  
Lawyer: nod nod  
  
Kattie: holds up Gundam Wing lunch box I own, yes? (We're getting close now)  
  
Lawyer: Yup.  
  
Kattie: holds up Gundam Wing Mine?  
  
Lawyer: In your dreams! Grr  
  
Kattie: ;_; I don't own Gundam Wing. huggles lunch box  
  
Note: I'm sorry if I didn't make it clear what happened to Hiiro. Here's a brief explanation.  
  
Chapter 9: Hiiro leaves to sell laptop, notices Naihu's presence. Chapter 10: Hiiro catches Naihu, the laptop is probably in their car. Chapter 11: Hiiro leaves the apartment and sells his laptop.  
  
Sorry that wasn't clear bows Gomen!  
  
Last Note: This chapter is basically trying to tie things together. It's not very angst-ish or dramatic at all ^^*. There'll be enough of that in the next one, but I hope you can live through this one. (I tried to make it funny so you wouldn't die of boredom.)  
  
  
  
**The Next Day**  
  
Hiiro and Trowa had to help Duo walk through the shuttleport. He had gotten a little bit better but he still complaining of a pounding headache and muscle pain. He wasn't entirely conscious of what was going on, but knew that he needed to walk. After all, the other pilots kept telling him this, and they were in far better a mental state than he.  
  
Quatre was openly avoiding eye contact with Hiiro, and seemed to be in an alternate universe. His eyes were focused straight ahead of him, but not really on anything at all. Every couple minutes he'd shiver and come back into reality, before looking around and going back to the other world.  
  
Iria, who was the only one oblivious to the whole situation, just kept watching Duo like he was a time bomb. "We really should have gotten him a wheelchair." She said, for what seemed like the millionth time.  
  
"That would have attracted to much attention." Trowa explained.  
  
"And me being lugged around by you two doesn't?" Duo questioned, tripping over a crack in the floor tiles.  
  
Neither Trowa nor Hiiro seemed to notice that they were carrying all of Duo's weight on their shoulders, even if it was for only a few seconds.  
  
"No one's said anything yet." Hiiro offered lamely.  
  
When they reached the ticket counter, Iria looked up at the prices. "Five children and one adult, please."  
  
"WHAT?!" Duo asked, barely being held back by his two companions. "Five CHILDREN?"  
  
Iria gave him a confused look. "Well, yes. You're all under 18, right?"  
  
Duo stared at her blankly, "Yeah... but... We're not 'children'!"  
  
Sighing, Iria shook her head and barely suppressed a grin. "You're technically a child, Duo. At least it makes your ticket cheaper, right?"  
  
Sniffling, Duo hung his head.  
  
"Finally," Wufei said, deciding that just because Duo was sick, didn't mean he was unable to be harassed, "A ticket that matches his mental capacity."  
  
"If you hadn't noticed," Duo said calmly, though he was shaking with anger, "We're getting the SAME ticket. That means you're at LEAST as dumb at me!"  
  
"That will be 2,781 Colonial Tokens, please." The young woman/cashier interrupted, smiling sweetly as she said it.  
  
Attempting to ignore the two arguing boys, Iria took out her wallet and handed the tokens to her. "Sorry about the noise." She apologized with a sigh.  
  
"Don't worry about it," The cashier grinned. "Boys will be boys."  
  
"You can't talk to me like that," Duo snapped at Wufei, "I have a headache!"  
  
"I think all of us do, with you yelling so loud." Wufei retorted.  
  
"Here's your change," The cashier continued, reaching over the register to hand the money to Iria, "Thank you for using-" Her smile faltered as she noticed Quatre. For a moment she seemed frozen in place.  
  
"Miss?" Iria questioned. Being a doctor, she began listing all the applicable medical conditions in her head.  
  
And then, the moment was over. "OH MY GOD!" The woman squealed, dropping the coins onto the floor, "YOU'RE QUATRE WINNER! 'TEEN SPOTS' MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR OF THE YEAR!"  
  
Quatre blinked back into reality. "Pardon?"  
  
"It IS you!" She screamed, nearly falling down from excitement. "My name's Molly! Will you marry me?"  
  
Now very confused, Quatre shifted his gaze to look at Iria. "What happened?"  
  
"I'm not really sure. something about 'Eligible Bachelor', I think." Iria explained.  
  
"HEY GUYS!" Molly screamed to the other cashiers. "It's Quatre! Here!"  
  
"THE QUATRE?"  
  
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?"  
  
And so, the storm began.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Winner Manor  
  
"Uh, sir," Wesley stepped in without even bothering to knock this time. After all, nothing would please him more than to be fired, "They found your son. Shuttle T-42. It leaves in exactly 48 minutes."  
  
Mr. Winner nodded and stood up from his chair. It amazed Wesley how Mr. Winner could spend his whole life at a desk, and still be in good shape. 'He must have a fast metabolism.' Wesley told himself.  
  
"Let's go, Wesley." Mr. Winner said, putting on a coat.  
  
"Uh, sir?" Wesley questioned, unsure of what his employer/ex-employer meant.  
  
"Well, we're going to have to hurry if we want to catch that shuttle." He explained.  
  
Wesley sighed. "No, sir, I'm not going with you. I don't work for you anymore, remember? I quit this morning!"  
  
"Yes, of course, you can quit as soon as we get Quatre." Mr. Winner answered. "Come along now."  
  
Standing dumbfounded for a moment, Wesley tried to figure out how he could get out of this. "Sir, I don't want to go! I don't work for you! You can't tell me what to do!"  
  
Poking his head back into the room, Mr. Winner asked, "Coming, Wesley?"  
  
Wesley stared at the empty space he'd just yelled at. "Yes, sir." He grumbled, wondering what ever happened to his backbone. 'Must be a birth defect,' He thought, 'Couldn't I have been born without something else? A leg, maybe?'  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Oz HQ  
  
Suki's cellphone rang to the tune of "Ode to Joy" and vibrated to the melody. Suki hummed to it for a few minutes before answering. "Hiya!"  
  
She listened as the voice on the other end gave her instructions.  
  
"Okay!" Suki replied with enthusiasm. "I'll get there right away! Won't Daddy be surprised to see me?"  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Elsewhere in Oz HQ  
  
"Did you tape that phone call?" Colonel Itsa asked, pacing the room.  
  
"Yes, sir!" Another man replied as he typed frantically on his computer.  
  
"Where are they?!" Itsa yelled.  
  
"The shuttleport, sir! Shuttle T-42!"  
  
Itsa stopped suddenly and turned to face the other man. "When does it leave?"  
  
"Thirty seven minutes, sir!"  
  
"Then we'd best hurry!"  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
At the shuttleport  
  
Naihu grinned as she looked over her paper at the Winner boy, trying desperately to calm a crowd of teenage girls. "Heh heh," She laughed sinisterly, "Gotcha."  
  
"Hello," A woman said, stepping right in front of Naihu, "Mind if I sit here." She pointed at the seat to Naihu's left.  
  
"Huh?" Naihu asked dumbly. "Oh yeah. In't got my name printed on it or nothing."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Continuing her stalking quest, Naihu completely ignored the woman. "Whatcha gonna do now, Mr. Rich 'Un?"  
  
"I assume he's going to get on his shuttle." The woman answered.  
  
Glaring over at her, Naihu froze as she recognized the lady. "You... you're... I KNOW you!"  
  
"Yes," The woman said simply, "You do."  
  
"You were being on the "Lost Hunter" weren't you?" Naihu questioned.  
  
"That I was. Don't tell me you've forgotten your old friend Lenore?" She asked, grinning slightly.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?"  
  
"I could ask you the same, but that would be rather pointless, since I already know," Lenore slipped off her jacket and tied it around her waist, "I'm here to stop you."  
  
"You can try, honey, but you ain't gonna succeed!" Naihu snapped.  
  
Lenore shrugged. "If it pleases you to think so. I have few friends, Naihu. I'm not about to let you kill one of them."  
  
A grin came to Naihu's lips as something occurred to her. "Well, I'll always be up for a challenge. It's more fun this way."  
  
"You always thought playing God was a fun game."  
  
"Shut your yapper. I liked you better when you didn't talk."  
  
"Well, I liked you better when you weren't revenge-driven."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The place Naihu was watching  
  
"No, he's not Quatre." Hiiro said, getting annoyed by the crowd of young women.  
  
Duo, who didn't seem to mind them, flashed his most charming smile. "So, how do you know our friend Quatre?"  
  
"He's going to marry me someday!" One girl explained.  
  
"He's my fiancé!" Another answered.  
  
"My psychic says we're meant to be!" Said a third.  
  
"Really?" Duo asked, sounding interested. "But you can't ALL be destined for him. What about his poor friend Duo?"  
  
"I won't settle for less than Quatre!"  
  
"I would never cheat on my beloved!"  
  
"It's in the STARS!"  
  
"Well," Duo questioned, disappointment hinted in his tone, "What now?"  
  
"Help!" Quatre's voice cried from the middle of the mob.  
  
"...We might have to run." Trowa admitted.  
  
"Yeah, but how do we get Quatre?"  
  
Ignoring Duo's lack of faith, Hiiro plunged into the crowd.  
  
"Do you think he'll make it?" Duo asked.  
  
"... He has his gun."  
  
A few minutes later, Hiiro emerged from the mob, clutching Quatre's arm. "We're going." He stated.  
  
Quatre was staring ahead with a look of horror. His hair was tousled and had been partially dyed by all the girls' lipstick. His vest was gone probably to be claimed by some lucky woman as commemorative item of this "wonderful" day. One of his pant legs had been ripped off and both of his shoes were untied. "H-have to... catch a... sh-shuttle." Quatre stuttered.  
  
"Quatre sure is lucky." Duo said with a wistful sigh.  
  
Iria plunged from the crowd and joined up with the five boys. "Those girls!" She said angrily. "Have they NO RESPECT for people just TRYING to get to a shuttle on time!?"  
  
"Stupid women." Wufei snarled.  
  
"THERE HE IS!" Someone screamed upon noticing Quatre's location.  
  
Everything was a blur for next few moments, but one thing was sure. Somehow the five pilots and Iria managed to escape the swarm of 'Teen Spot' readers. The crowd of girls stood dumbfounded as they realized Quatre was gone.  
  
"Damn it!" One cried. "How could we let them escape?"  
  
"We were THIS close!"  
  
"How could we be so stupid!?"  
  
"Hey!" Molly yelled, silencing the rest of the women. "Don't worry! I know which flight they're on! We just have to follow them!"  
  
Victory cheers echoed throughout the building.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
At the ticket counter  
  
Mr. Winner rang the bell for service again, feeling very annoyed. "This is horrible service!" He commented. "If I ran my business like this, I'd be bankrupt."  
  
"Yes, sir." Wesley muttered.  
  
Somewhere in the background he could hear choruses of "Hallelujah!" and "We're back in business!". It didn't occur to him to wonder why he was hearing this.  
  
End of Chapter  
  
Two chapters left. I think I will do a sequel. One good part of living through my "boring" chapter is that you get two more instead of one, right? I hope, at least  
  
Sorry for the shortness and humorousness. Maybe you were a little tired of angst? ^^* Well, don't worry, I'll get back to my torture sessions next chapter. (Then again, didn't I torture Quatre anyway?)  
  
I leave you with a few questions:  
  
1) What disease does Duo have?  
  
2) Who was in Quatre's dream, and what was happening in it?  
  
3) Will Mr. Winner ever get service?  
  
4) Will you review? Please? looks all cute and innocent  
  
Reviews=Inspiration=Quicker Chapters! 


	13. Chapter 13: Help Me to Breathe

Star's Gaze  
  
Chapter 13: Help Me to Breathe  
  
Kattie  
  
Disclaimer: What do we truly own as human beings? Does not our soul belong to the Heavens? Our body is mortal, therefore it belongs to the world. And our minds belong to our teachers, as they fill them with endless knowledge. In reality, can we say we own anything?  
  
Lawyer: .. You're full of it.  
  
Kattie: ;_; Just trying to cheer myself up. sob I don't own Gundam Wing!  
  
Notes: Just so you don't get your hopes up, you aren't going to learn Duo's disease in this chapter. pats on head and gives lollipop But you do learn all about the dream! Yay! (^^*) I feel like I was connecting the dots in this chapter.. Sorry it took so long, I was on vacation. (Japantown in San Fransisco is great! YAY!) and then.. I got writer's block. Second to last chapter is the hardest, you know. bows SORRY! hands out free lollipops  
  
Note: Sorry if I've completely changed my writing and started writing to sound a little (well, in a word) British. I've been watching a LOT of British films and reading British books lately (Movies- The Full Monty, Bridget Jones' Diary, Harry Potter Books- Discworld series, American Gods, Harry Potter). Since I'm from the U.S. I may have changed dialect, which can be confusing. ^^* Sorry!!! glomps previously mentioned books and movies  
  
Another Note gasp: People keep thinking Duo has malaria. Just to let you know, he doesn't ^_^. I wouldn't need to spend hours researching malaria, it's actually pretty well-known (Personally, I think it's because all the U.S. schools seem to have Oregon Trail. Duo did have malaria when I was playing that..). This disease is far less common. BWAHAHHAHAHA! coughs and chokes  
  
Dedication: This is dedicated to all the students out there! (Especially CloudNeroZ who helped me break this evil writer's block huggles) sniffs Going back to school real soon sob sob sob But I will not sniff let that sob get me down. ;_; Have a great school year full of 4.0's! (er.. You know, I haven't the foggiest whether they use that grading system in other countries.. So basically that means, if you don't use that grading system, I hope you get straight A's! YAY!) ^.^v  
  
  
  
Aboard flight T-42 (1)  
  
The pilot, Captain Rever Send, had never seen such a full shuttle in his life. Even during the holidays, they never seemed to sell out of tickets for a flight. Something was definitely going on. Perhaps this was a test. The people from the Board of Shuttle Pilots were seeing if he was truly capable of flying.  
  
However, he didn't remember there being so many teenage girls on the board. It was all a bit disconcerting. Then again, he wasn't paid to know what was going on, he was paid to pilot. So he'd just have to make sure he did a very good job piloting. Just in case.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The very back of the shuttle  
  
By the time they got Quatre on the shuttle, he was stuttering with fear. "Women..Everywhere!"  
  
Cocking an eyebrow, Duo stared at his friend in disbelief. "Is that a bad thing?"  
  
"T-took my vest." Quatre continued stammering.  
  
"It's okay, Quatre," Iria said reassuringly, "They're gone now."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The station manager was red-faced and short of breath by the time he reached the ticket booth. When he'd heard of the missing cashiers, he'd rushed down himself to check and fix the situation. "Sorry for the delay," He huffed to the first person in the only remaining line. All of the other windows had signs on them reading, "Closed."  
  
"Our staff consists mainly of young women and it seems they've all gone to," He paused a moment to read the note they had left, ".. 'Chase their dreams'."  
  
It was then that the manager finally looked up at the customer, wearing the always-present grin of a salesman. Miscellaneous words of profanity began swimming in his now throbbing head. He immediately recognized the man standing across the counter. Hell, anyone would. Winner Corporation was one of the most prosperous companies there was, after all.  
  
"W-which flight?" The manager stuttered.  
  
Mr. Winner was glaring at him. "T-42." He said, his voice drenched in acid.  
  
The manager's hands shook so badly, as he checked the computer, that he could barely type. "U-unfortunately," The fool of a manager uttered, "That flight just finished loading p-" Losing his train of thought, he fell silent for a moment, before continuing, ".. Passengers. The next shuttle leaves in a couple hours. Would you like me to book your for that flight?"  
  
Fixing his stare on the incompetent man, Mr. Winner spoke his answer without any hesitation whatsoever, "No. You will now sell me two tickets for flight T-42. You are going to call the shuttle and tell them to wait."  
  
Now, the manager of the shuttle station was a weak man. He was quite taken with his vodka and was sure that a "designated driver" was a kind of golf club. He had a mistress in every city/colony his shuttles went to. After all, he was the shuttle station manager, that made him a real catch.  
  
But there was only so much a man could put up with. He'd already had to deal with all of the complaint calls, the cashiers leaving, and cleaning up shred of purple fabric off of his lovely floors. He was NOT going to let anyone tell him how to run his business. Not even if the person telling him was the richest, and probably most powerful, man alive.  
  
"No," The manager argued, "It's too late. You'll have to catch the next flight."  
  
Sensing a storm coming, Wesley put up his umbrella, or rather, began talking with the people behind him in line. "So," he asked, "Where are you headed to?"  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
On the shuttle  
  
Quatre had finally stopped shivering and was now content with staring ahead and muttering to himself. "My vest."  
  
"Good evening, folks," The flight attendant, who Duo had previously flirted with, said over the intercom, "Due to technical difficulties, there will be a slight delay in our departure. We ask you to please remain seated and we will inform you when we are ready to lift off. Thank you for choosing Colony Air. We hope you have a pleasant flight."  
  
"Technical difficulties?" Duo questioned, with a yawn. "They always say that. I'll bet the pilot got stuck in traffic or something."  
  
"That's enough out of you," Iria replied, throwing a pillow at him, "You've been talking to much. It's a waste of energy. So now, you have to go to sleep."  
  
Duo crossed his arms in a pout. "I'm not tired."  
  
Shrugging, Iria tossed him a blanket to go with the pillow. "You were yawning. Good night, Duo."  
  
Yawning again, Duo gave in, which was a first. "G'night." It didn't take a minute for him to fall asleep.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The manager escorted Mr. Winner and Wesley onto the shuttle. It was the least he could do, he had said, to please his customers.  
  
He and Mr. Winner had had a little chat. The manager soon realized his own imperfection and how very right Mr. Winner was.  
  
Always remember, money is power.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Sorry for the delay," The stewardess said in a cheerful voice, "We are now ready for take off.." She continued to tell them all the safety rules, the fact that there was no smoking at any point, or anywhere, on the flight, and how to fasten their seatbelts.  
  
And then, they were off.  
  
A small demon perched itself on one of the wings and grinned to itself. "Yay!" It said cheerfully. "Let's see how many lives I can ruin today."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Meetings  
  
Quatre didn't notice his attackers when they got onto the shuttle, but Iria had. She'd also noticed them walking slowly down the aisle, opening luggage compartments as if they were flight attendants in an attempt to be discreet while making their way to the very back, where Iria and her party were seated. One of them was wearing a very shredded purple vest and another wore a beige headband.  
  
Glaring at them, Iria turned to look at Quatre, who was carefully reading the safety pamphlet, as if he would miss something important if he read too quickly.  
  
They had almost reached Quatre, when the stewardess, whose name was Hana, came down the aisle, looking very disgruntled. "Excuse me, ladies," She said with forced kindness, "But this flight has assigned seating. Please return to your assigned seats and remain seated for the remainder of your stay."  
  
Molly looked very disappointed. "B-but.." She stammered. "He's Quatre! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"  
  
With a sigh, the stewardess looked over at Quatre and then back at Molly. "That isn't Quatre Winner," She explained, "Didn't you watch the Morning Teen Show? He dyed his hair BROWN last night."  
  
Tears forming in her eyes, Molly mumbled a "Sorry" and headed back to her seat, the other girls following suit.  
  
Hana grinned back at Quatre and winked before blowing a kiss and returning to her duties.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Elsewhere on the shuttle  
  
"Aren't you going to read the safety pamphlet?" Lenore asked.  
  
Naihu looked at her as if she was crazy. "Hell no. It's bein' talking about "water landings". Shuttles don't land in water, they crash. It's badly written and I ain't gonna read it."  
  
Lenore shrugged and stood up. "It's good to be prepared."  
  
"Where th' hell're you goin'?" Naihu questioned.  
  
A look of concern covered Lenore's features. "The bathroom," She answered, as if it were very obvious, "Where else would I be going on a shuttle?"  
  
Naihu glowered after Lenore as she walked away. "Damn young 'un. Thinks she's so smart. Prob'ly thinks she's more 'ntelligent than Naihu even." As she continued muttering, Naihu pulled out her safety pamphlet, and began reading.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
'Uh oh,' Iria thought, 'here they come again.'  
  
Mistaking Lenore for another reader of "Teen Spot", Iria prepared herself for a good yelling session. She wasn't having a good day and was actually pretty tired, though she wouldn't dare sleep in case Duo needed her. 'If that woman takes another step,' She told herself, 'I'm going to tell her what I think of her and her little friends.'  
  
Lenore took another step.  
  
Standing up, Iria took a deep breath, positive that she wouldn't have time to catch it later. Just as she was about to start telling the woman off, Lenore spoke.  
  
"Hello, you must be Quatre's sister.. Iria? We met at the hospital, I believe. My name's Lenore." Lenore wore a huge grin, and held her hand out.  
  
It took Iria a moment to realize what had happened, so Lenore took Iria's hand and shook it herself.  
  
"It's nice to see you again," Lenore continued, "If I may speak with your brother?"  
  
"Uh.." Iria stared blankly ahead, trying to get rid of all the energy she'd built up for yelling, "Sure."  
  
"Quatre?" Lenore said softly, shaking Quatre's shoulder.  
  
He was still reading the pamphlet, though he seemed to have made his way to the copyrights. "Yes?" He asked, finally looking up. His eyes seemed to light up as he saw Lenore and he smiled with recognition. "Oh, hello Lenore. What a coincidence that we're on the same shuttle."  
  
"Actually I followed you." Lenore explained.  
  
Quatre looked at her for a moment, trying to understand why she would do this. He couldn't really think of anything to say to this. Luckily, he didn't have to.  
  
"I thought you should know what you're up against," She continued, "You're quite the popular one today. There are about 30 young women who followed you onto this shuttle, intent on getting souvenirs. Oz send a small army of about," she paused to think about this for a moment, "22-23 soldiers to deliver the five of you to Oz Headquarters. Your father is sitting in the front of the spacecraft with his assistant and, what seems to be, the shuttle station manager. Also, Naihu followed you and is set on killing you during this flight."  
  
Patting him on the head, Lenore flashed a brilliant smile. "But don't worry, I'm sure the five of you can take them. I'll send Suki back just in case." Inserting her pointer and middle finger into her mouth, Lenore produced a very impressive whistle.  
  
Suki came bounding down the aisle, skipping happily. "Hi daddy!" She said cheerfully, clamping onto Quatre's arm. "I'm gonna keep you company."  
  
Bowing her head slightly, Lenore walked back to her seat, leaving poor Quatre with a bewildered expression and a bouncing ball of joy.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"It's time." The computer whiz, also known as Agent Alpha, told Colonel Itsa.  
  
Putting his hand into his jacket, just to make sure his gun was there, Itsa stood up and made his way down the aisle. He was followed by about 20 other soldiers, all dressed in civilian clothing.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
At the front of the plane  
  
Wesley watched the men walking towards the Winner heir in horror. "U-uh Mr. Winner, sir," He said nervously, "A group of men are going towards your son."  
  
"Damn." Mr. Winner muttered, putting down his paper, "Are they armed?"  
  
Inwardly sighing, Wesley shook his head. "I wouldn't know, sir, I'm just an unemployed secretary."  
  
"Guns, you say?" The manager asked, following Wesley's gaze, "On MY shuttle?"  
  
"Probably," Mr. Winner said, more to himself than to the manager, "They are soldiers, after all."  
  
Manager (2) looked stunned. "Why would soldiers be after your son?"  
  
Mr. Winner shrugged. "Why are they planning an attack on a shuttle?"  
  
Nodding, Manager looked satisfied. "A few episodes short of a series, are they?" He suggested. "Well we can't have firearms on a spacecraft. We'll just have to commandeer them."  
  
"Unless they shoot us," Wesley muttered, just loud enough for Manager to hear, "What a great day. Wouldn't let me quit, so now I get shot."  
  
This didn't do much for Manager's confidence.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Hiiro and Quatre exchanged a look as the soldiers began pouring down the aisle. With Duo asleep, there were only four of them. Things weren't looking good.  
  
"It looks like they're coming for you, daddy," Suki observed, "I hope you're as good as mommy says."  
  
Iria looked over at Quatre, then over to the soldiers. "Shit," she swore, than fearing for Quatre's innocent ears, she corrected herself, "I mean, shoot. You didn't hear that." Well, she wasn't about to let her little brother be taken away by troops who didn't even wear uniforms (3). "Something I can help you gentlemen with?" She asked, standing up to block Quatre from view.  
  
"Step aside, ma'am," The man in front said, "This doesn't concern you."  
  
"Who does it concern then?" Iria questioned them. For some reason she seemed to have twice the usual amount of bravery and half the usual amount of brains. Or maybe she was just in a bad mood.  
  
"Ma'am, please step aside or we will be forced to..force.. you aside." He explained.  
  
Iria didn't move, and so, the soldiers helped her move.  
  
"Let go of me!" She screeched. "Ow!" The man holding her pulled her hair, causing an immense amount of pain in her scalp and her eyes to water.  
  
He was on the floor in less than a second, a bullet firmly secured into his skull.  
  
"What do you want?" Quatre asked, keeping his gun pointed at the remaining soldiers, who had now taken out their own weapons.  
  
"We will escort you to Oz HQ #7 immediately after landing." A man, who looked like he spent far too much time on a computer than was healthy, explained.  
  
"No." Hiiro replied, standing up as well, and brandishing his own gun.  
  
"You don't really have a choice." The man who seemed to be the leader said.  
  
"Ex-Excuse me, gentlemen," Manager stuttered, pushing his way to the middle of the group. "B-but I thought I might.. Inform you that you are breaking safety regulations 1, 2, 5, 7, 18, 27, 34, 36, 39, 40, 47, and 5001. Firearms are not allowed on the spacecraft and you must remain seated at all times. Failure to do this could lead to endangering yourself or others on the shuttle and may lead to a minimum of 3 years in prison."  
  
"Shut up!" One of the younger and more foolhardy soldiers yelled, firing a bullet at the poor man.  
  
Manager slid to the ground, clutching his chest. "T-that's regulation 495 as w-well." His voice trailed off as he fell unconscious.  
  
Duo, who had been awakened by the first gunshot, didn't look well. Iria was noticing this from her position behind Quatre. He looked very tired and pale but he was holding his gun.  
  
Shots began ringing out from all over the shuttle. It seemed like a strange opera consisting of miscellaneous bangs.  
  
Quatre was barely conscious of the soldier making his way over to Duo. "Leave him alone!" He shouted, though his voice was lost amidst the noise.  
  
The soldier, ignoring the plea, slammed his gun against the side of Duo's head.  
  
"Stop it!" Quatre screamed, making his way back towards his friend. If he could just get a clear shot.. "Leave him alone!"  
  
Though he was exhausted and feeling very ill, Duo punched the soldier weakly in the face, causing very little damage if any.  
  
"He hasn't done anything!" This situation felt oddly familiar.  
  
Slapping his gun against Duo's head again, the soldier grinned in the familiarity of battle.  
  
"NOOOOO!"  
  
One bang seemed to scream out above all others. It was like the voice of death saying "Hello, nice to meet you."  
  
Everything comes to an end.  
  
Especially chapters.  
  
End of Chapter  
  
grins with satisfaction Ah, it's good to be evil. drinks a diet coke Lallalla!  
  
(1) Just as a note, T-42 was the schoolbus I rode in 3rd grade.... Can't believe I still remember that. ^^*  
  
(2)I'm sure you all know that his name isn't really "Manager", but writing "the manager" over and over gets very boring and I'm sure you agree that I've told you enough peoples' names. The manager's name is actually Marlboro Camel Jefferson. His parents had sold the rights to his name on e- bay, and the cigarette companies had taken advantage of the situation, so now he was a walking advertisement.  
  
(3) I gotta say, this would displease ME greatly. Kattie: being taken away by the military HEY! Where are your uniforms? Soldier: .... we were undercover. Kattie: blinks Let me get this straight. I'm being taken away to God knows where, and you don't even have the kindness to wear a uniform so I can swoon over you? Soldier: blink ...No. Kattie: pouts Meany! Soldier: ^^* sorry.  
  
If you don't like "A few episodes short of a series" please feel free to replace it with: A few balloons short of a parade, a few hairs short of bald, a few strokes short of a painting, a few cards short of a deck, etc. etc. My beta also adds: A few bananas short of a bunch, a few crackers short of a box, a few bars short of Beethoven's Fifth, a few headlines short of a paper, a few protons short of plutonium...and their elevators don't quite go to the top floor.  
  
One chapter left. I'll try to make it count. A sequel will follow, but it may be a month or so later, depending how evil my teachers are.  
  
More questions ^.^ (getting the answers last chapter made me very happy)  
  
1) Will Duo live to the end of the fanfiction? 2) Will the shuttle make it to its destination? 3) Can Iria save everyone who's been shot? 4) Is Kattie evil?  
  
Please review! (I know it took a long time, and I apologize again!) Thanks for reading! glomps 


	14. Chapter 14: The End of the Battle

Star's Gaze  
  
Chapter 14: The End of the Battle  
  
Kattie  
  
Disclaimer: Kattie: puts on dark dark sunglasses and drives by Gundam pilots in a shiny black limo (limousine rentals are the best!) Hello!  
  
Pilots: are too enthralled in their conversation to hear her  
  
Kattie: I'll give anyone who'll come into my limo.. pulls out a paper bag Candy!  
  
Duo: *o* Okay! is pulled back by other pilots  
  
Kattie: (oh hoh, like you thought that was ALL that's in my bag) pulls out shiny new gun and guns!  
  
Hiiro: .. is pulled by a magnetic force to the limo but is somehow restrained by the three pilots who are still sane  
  
Kattie: continues with her little magic show pulls out a humongo book called "Law and Punishments: The 13th century to the year 2000" And.. JUSTICE!  
  
Wufei: runs to limo  
  
Trowa and Quatre: are unable to hold back the three other pilots  
  
Kattie: opens door wide Come on in!  
  
Hiiro, Wufei, and Duo: come on in  
  
Trowa and Quatre: figure there isn't much else they can do, and enter as well  
  
Kattie: BWAHAHHAHAHAHA! I HAVE GUNDAM WING! I HAVE GUNDAM WING! BWAHAHHAHAHA!  
  
Lawyer:.. Yes.. But you still don't OWN Gundam Wing.  
  
Kattie: ;_; Curses, foiled again!  
  
Duo: looks in bag HEY! It's EMPTY!  
  
Kattie: uh oh  
  
Notes: This is the last chapter! There will be NO MORE Star's Gaze after this. There will be an end notes chapter (entitled "End Notes")added to the end, but it will have no plot whatsoever. (Maybe a tiny story to make sure it fits ff dot net guidelines). It will also have a preview for the third installment, which should be labeled thinks really hard "Friendless".. Maybe. It's hard trying to come up with a title based on "I'm Your Friend". sighs Anyone have any ideas?  
  
Another Note: There is no romance between Duo and Iria. Duo's about Quatre's age, so she thinks of him more as a little brother. A romance would be a little.. Not right.. Just thought you ought to know that ^^*.  
  
Warning: Major angst! This is not for the weak willed! I cried writing it so you might possibly cry reading it!  
  
For a moment, Duo was sure he was going to die. He could hear the shot ringing in his ears and then felt he'd gone deaf. He whispered one last prayer and cringed as he waited for the bullet to dig into his skin.  
  
Then he saw the soldier next to him fall and could once again hear. Quatre's screams echoed through his ears and the gunfire continued.  
  
"Tom!" An Oz soldier yelled, staring in horror at the dying man by Duo's side. Tears wavered in his eyes, refusing to be shed. He was a proud sergeant in the Oz military forces. Crying was not an option. Instead, he converted his sadness to anger (1) and took up his gun. Carefully, he aimed it at Duo. "Die, Gundam scum!"  
  
Everything seemed to go in slow motion after this. He watched as Quatre shot the soldier, screaming inaudible words, only a moment after the man had fired. As the bullet glided towards him, Duo thought he saw his life flash before his eyes.  
  
It took him a second to realize that a beautiful blonde doctor had never taken a bullet for him before.  
  
Suddenly he was on the ground, clutching the wounded Iria in his arms.  
  
She was smiling up at him, looking as if she were in no pain whatsoever, although she was holding a hand to the blood seeping from her chest. "A- are you all. all right?" She asked.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
When Quatre saw his sister fall to the ground with a bullet implanted in her chest, he lost whatever self-restraint he had. The sweet and kind person of Quatre Raberba Winner was lost and in its place there was a merciless killing machine.  
  
With one hand he grasped his chest as if he were trying to reach inside and pull his heart out. With the other, he shot any Oz soldier who came within 20 feet of him. (2)  
  
It led to a great number of corpses.  
  
There was a slight, almost invisible smile on his lips. It was the smile of a madman.  
  
Or a man who didn't know how to handle a recent happening.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Captain Send heard the gunshots, but knew his duty. If this was a test, it was his job to continue piloting and not worry about anything beyond the cockpit. If this wasn't, he could do nothing to stop the gunfire, so why bother trying? What would be the point of another corpse?  
  
His copilot was fidgeting nervously. "D'ya think," He asked, "D'ya think I should go back there? Jus' ta check it out?"  
  
Send shook his head. "This isn't our problem."  
  
"B-but maybe we could.. I dunno.. Help end it?"  
  
"No," Send explained, "We'd only make it worse."  
  
The thing about Send was that he was such a great coward, he'd convinced himself that this was true.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
With blood-drenched hands, Quatre looked around angrily for another victim. He needed to kill all Oz personnel. It was his mission, his reason for living. They weren't going to get away with hurting Iria. With trying to kill Duo.  
  
Detecting a soldier, Quatre made his way over the corpses to his side and raised his gun to the side of the man's head.  
  
"W-wait!" The man yelled, putting a hand to the barrel of Quatre's gun. "I- I just work on computers! I haven't killed anyone! Please don't shoot me!"  
  
"What's your name?" Quatre asked.  
  
"Agent Alpha," he said automatically, ".. Joe."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Quatre allowed a single tear to slip down his cheek. "Iria didn't kill anyone either, Joe. She's a doctor! Why should I spare you when you didn't spare her?"  
  
Quatre felt a hand on his shoulder and tensed.  
  
"Quatre," his father's voice said, "You need to calm down."  
  
"No," Quatre snapped, shrugging his father's hand off, "Not until they're all gone." He glared at the man cowering in front of him. "Are you armed?"  
  
"Yes, sir." He replied, with practiced familiarity. It wasn't until a few seconds after he said it that he realized it was the wrong answer.  
  
"If you weren't planning on shooting anyone, why would you have a gun?" Quatre asked.  
  
Joe paused as he thought of an answer. "For self-defense? Sir."  
  
"Quatre," Mr. Winner said again, "Give me your gun."  
  
Quatre didn't seem to hear him. "Is that a question?"  
  
Mr. Winner grabbed for the gun and actually managed to get a hold of Quatre's wrist before he spun around and turned his gun on his own father.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Quatre asked. "Come to take me back as your prisoner? Fine. Just let me finish this."  
  
There was a loud smack as Mr. Winner punched Quatre across the face. The gun flew out of Quatre's hand and across the shuttle, where Hiiro caught it. Quatre was sprawled across the floor. He glared up at his father with a look of bitter hatred.  
  
Ignoring his son's anger, Mr. Winner picked Quatre up off the ground and placed him in a seat. "Look around. You've already done enough killing!"  
  
"You wouldn't know anything about it," Quatre spat, "This has nothing to do with you."  
  
"Damn it, Quatre!" Mr. Winner yelled. "Get a hold of yourself! This isn't like you!"  
  
"You've never seen me in battle before." Quatre replied.  
  
"Look at your hands!" Mr. Winner continued. "They're covered with blood. Killing more people isn't going to help Iria!"  
  
Quatre stared down at his hands. "B-but the first shot didn't help either. It was too late."  
  
"That's right," Mr. Winner explained, "None of the bullets are going to make any difference because you can't end fighting with fighting. All war is pointless! Do you understand now? The only thing your part in this war is going to do is cause you to lose your innocence and possibly your life."  
  
With the anger gone, all Quatre had left was his sadness. "N-no.. if I'd been a second earlier, it would have made a difference." Tears welled up in his eyes and he buried his face in his hands, causing the blood to drip from them to the ground.  
  
Seeing that Quatre was in no position to shoot him, Agent Alpha discreetly pulled out his gun. 'For my fallen comrades.' he said silently.  
  
Noticing him doing this, Mr. Winner scooped a gun from a corpse, aimed it at him, and fired.  
  
Hearing the gunshot, Quatre looked up and fixed his teary eyes on his father. "S-see?" He said. "If you hadn't killed him, he would have killed me. That's why we fight this war."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"What?" Duo asked, not sure he'd heard Iria's question. Both of them were oblivious to their surroundings as neither of them was feeling their best. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"  
  
Iria smiled all-knowingly. "You're just a child. It's more important that you live. You still have a debt to pay to the world."  
  
"You're no old lady yourself." Duo replied. "Which is why you'll be fine."  
  
With a sigh, Iria took Duo's hand. "I'm a doctor, Duo. A gunshot wound to the chest from such close range is almost always fatal."  
  
Tears stung in Duo's eyes and he squeezed her hand reassuringly. "We'll take that 'almost'. You're going to be fine."  
  
He could feel his body screaming in pain and his eyelids seemed to grow heavier and heavier. It seemed like the most difficult task in the world just to stay conscious. It felt like he had taken that bullet. However, he couldn't be sure if this was from the disease or if it was from the sadness at the possibility of losing Iria.  
  
It was then that he became conscious of Quatre sobbing across the shuttle. He was embracing his father, who seemed to be telling him something.  
  
"Hey Duo," Iria said so quietly, Duo could barely hear, "Y-you have to pro- promise me something.."  
  
"No promises," Duo explained, "You'll be fine."  
  
"Pr-promise me anyway," she answered, "Just in c-case."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Take care of Quatre," Iria said, somehow managing to keep from stuttering, though blood was seeping out from the corner of her mouth, "He won't be able to deal with this. You have to take care of him for me."  
  
Duo wiped a tear away. "You'll take care of him yourself."  
  
Iria let out a small, half-hearted giggle. "You just make sure you stay alive. Don't let this disease beat you."  
  
"Of course I won't," Duo replied, "Because I have the best doctor in the universe."  
  
Attempting to grin again, Iria let out a small cough and blood splattered onto her hand. "You're a good kid, but you shouldn't believe in the impossible. I am going to die, Duo."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Mr. Winner held Quatre as if he'd fall into some deep pit if he ever let go. "I'm sorry, Quatre."  
  
Quatre was unable to speak, he was sobbing too hard.  
  
"We should go see Iria." Mr. Winner said gently.  
  
Nodding, Quatre took a deep breath and began walking towards his sister. He forced the sobs to die down and held onto his father's arm for support.  
  
"Hi Quatre." Iria said, holding a hand up for him to take.  
  
Dropping to his knees, Quatre took her cold hand with two of his own warm ones. "H-h-hello Ir-iria."  
  
Iria pulled his hands to her face and kissed them softly. "You've been crying."  
  
"Y-yes." Quatre replied, trying to hold back another sob.  
  
"Don't cry," Iria whispered, "When I'm gone-"  
  
"You're not going to die." Duo interrupted.  
  
"Make sure you get Duo to the hospital right away," Iria explained, "Don't waste any time mourning when you reach the shuttle station."  
  
"There won't be any reason to mourn." Duo pointed out.  
  
"I'm sorry," Iria said, tears clouding her eyes, "I never meant to make you cry."  
  
And then, she went limp and the tears slid from her dead eyes and down her pale cheek.  
  
With no tears left to cry, Quatre just stared at Iria, not blinking or breathing. The pain in his chest was gone. (3)  
  
Duo covered his face with his hands and breathed deeply. Each breath came harder and harder. All the pain grew greater with the sadness. Greater until he couldn't take it. And then, it was gone.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Everything fuzzed into view as Duo opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Quatre kneeling beside his bed with his head burrowed in the covers. He looked like he was sleeping.  
  
"How are you feeling?" The doctor asked, handing him a cup of water.  
  
"I'm not," Duo replied, "Everything's numb." He drank the water in one gulp and started coughing.  
  
"Would you like some more water?" She questioned.  
  
"No," Duo looked at Quatre, "How long has he been here?"  
  
The doctor sighed. "All night. This hospital doesn't have visiting hours and we couldn't force him to go home."  
  
Stirring in his sleep, Quatre's eyes fluttered open and fixed on Duo. Suddenly he was wide-awake.  
  
"DUO!" He cried. "Are you all right?"  
  
Duo blinked. "I think so. I don't really know what was wrong."  
  
Glancing at her clipboard, the doctor answered, "Encephalomyelitis. You must have spent some time near a forest on Earth recently. It's transmitted by mosquitoes. You might have heard of it referred to as 'sleeping sickness'. You went into a coma last night, but you should be fine now."  
  
Nodding, Duo began crumbling his cup in his hands. "Where are Hiiro, Wufei, and Trowa?"  
  
"They had to work," Quatre explained, "We're both on.. Sick leave for another week."  
  
Duo took a deep breath and said the question that he knew he had to ask. "Is Iria..?"  
  
"The memorial service will be held next Friday." Quatre answered quickly.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
Quatre smiled slightly. "I'm fine. I had a talk with my father."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I think he understands why I'm doing this," Quatre explained, "But he still doesn't agree with it. Anyway, we're okay now."  
  
Duo smiled back at Quatre. "How long do I have to stay in this bed?"  
  
"Until tomorrow night." The doctor explained, though she was a bit concerned by the conversation.  
  
Sighing, Duo looked up at Quatre. "You should go to a hotel or something."  
  
Quatre shook his head. "I can't."  
  
"I'll be fine." Duo stated.  
  
"..Actually," Quatre blushed, "Those girls from the shuttle followed me here. I can't get out."  
  
"What happened to Suki?"  
  
".. She's with Lenore at the police station. They're being questioned."  
  
Duo nodded. "Which means.. You're stuck with me?"  
  
"I'd want to stay here anyway." Quatre explained.  
  
"Let's play cards."  
  
"You promise you won't cheat?"  
  
"I would NEVER cheat."  
  
".. What game?"  
  
"Poker."  
  
".. You ALWAYS cheat at poker."  
  
"Quatre, don't you trust me?"  
  
".. Fine."  
  
"Yay! I'm gonna win me some money!"  
  
".....Duo!"  
  
"Because I'm so good at poker, of course. I would NEVER cheat."  
  
"...."  
  
End of Chapter  
  
Star's Gaze- End.  
  
(1) Converting sadness into anger can be a very good technique if you're trying not to cry. Instead of thinking, 'They were so mean to me sob' you should try to think, 'Those #*%&$!#s! I can't BELIEVE they're that cruel.' .. Then again.. Anger isn't so good either ^^*  
  
(2) Yes, I know I told you that holding the gun with one hand would lead to less accuracy, but Quatre's SUPER GOOD so he can do that ANYWAY (and he's kinda pissed understatement and that adds strength!)!  
  
(3) Remember, Q-chan's an empath ^_^. When Iria died, everything went away, INCLUDING all the pain. Which is why Quatre no longer hurts ^.^.  
  
This chapter is a tribute to Iria. I've always thought of her as an underappreciated, but wonderful character. She was kind, beautiful, and likable. I wish she'd lasted longer than one (maybe two) episode.  
  
If you haven't reviewed at all during this fanfiction, please review now. I hope you enjoyed Star's Gaze ^_^.  
  
In case you hadn't noticed, I didn't mention what happened to Naihu. This was on purpose. Gotta leave something for the sequel ^.~  
  
PLEAAAAASE REVIEW! 


	15. End Notes

Star's Gaze  
  
End Notes  
  
Kattie  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I don't have any spiffy ideas for a disclaimer at the moment ^^*.  
  
A short and crappy poem (to keep this online ^^*)  
  
Stars That Gaze  
  
Star's that gaze down On the unsuspecting children Of the Earth Share only one secret with the world below: Hope is coming Hope is coming for those who need hope The stars smile as they watch us living our lives Below Because they know more secrets Than we could ever tell.  
  
Voila. I wrote it in less than a minute but ya know.  
  
Chapter Titles (no one e-mailed me, so no one won sorry!)  
  
Chapter One: "Even a small butterfly Can cross an ocean" "Namida wa Shitte Iru" (Tears Know) Rurouni Kenshin End Theme  
  
Chapter Two: "Today We Walked Backwards Together" "Manatsu no Eve" (Midsummer's Eve) Tenchi Muyo the Movie II Theme (Daughter of Darkness).  
  
Chapter Three: "Locked Away in the White-sand Moon" "Hiru no Tsuki" Outlaw Star (Daytime Moon) End Theme  
  
Chapter Four: "The Boy Who Wandered Off Into the Deep Darkness" "MAMESHIBA" (Bean-sod) Chikyuu Shoujo Arjuna (Earth Girl Arjuna) End Theme  
  
Chapter Five: "Love Repeats Itself Again and Again" "Junshin" (Pure Heart) Saint Tail End Theme  
  
Chapter Six: "I'll Never Forget That You Were All Here with Me" "Arigatou" (Thank You) Cardcaptor Sakura 2nd Movie Theme  
  
Chapter Seven: "Be it Ever so Humble, There's no Place Like Home" "Home Sweet Home" Hotaru no Haka (Grave of the Fireflies) Theme  
  
Chapter Eight: "The Reason for this Misery" "Hinageshi" (Red Poppy) Ranma ½ End Theme  
  
Chapter Nine: "Forming a undying friendship" "Natsu no Yoru no Yume" (Summer Night's Dream) DNAngel Opening Theme??  
  
Chapter 10: "The Darkness is Becoming Dirty" "Naku"(Crying) Devil Hunter Yohko Image Song??  
  
Chapter 11: "The Never-Ending Future" "Kaze wa Mirai ni Fuku" (The Wind Blows to the Future) Trigun End Theme  
  
Chapter 12: "Freedom in the sky" "Cha-La Head Cha-La" Dragon Ball Z Opening Theme  
  
Chapter 13: "Help Me to Breathe" "Duvet" Serial Experiments Lain Opening Theme  
  
Chapter 14: "The End of the Battle" "Knight of Lodoss" Record of Lodoss War Image Song  
  
Preview of sequel (probably not exact quotes- but close enough to get the gist of it)  
  
Summary (you'll see this on the main page): Finally Quatre and his father have formed a loving relationship with each other. Mr. Winner accepts Quatre as a pilot and Quatre, in turn, respects his father's views on pacifism. But what will happen when this relationship is suddenly shattered? With Mr. Winner's death, can Quatre take over the family business? Can he, when he is still a pilot? And what of these death threats?  
  
"What's this?" Duo asked, taking a letter out of the stack and holding it up to the light. "It looks like it's written in blood!"  
  
Quatre calmly took the letter from Duo's hand and examined it for a minute. "It probably is."  
  
With a look of shock and outrage, Duo ripped the letter out of his friend's grasp and tore it open.  
  
"Dear Mr. Winner," Duo read, "So the crown is passed down to the little prince. Pampered and spoiled, atop his head our crown shall rust. Polish it carefully, young one, for a new monarch is on His way."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Quatre jumped as he heard someone whispering behind him.  
  
"Time?"  
  
"Yessssss."  
  
The voices sounded oddly familiar but it would be foolish to stick around and wait for their owners. Not with all the death threats.  
  
Not at night.  
  
Alone.  
  
Suddenly someone was running towards him.  
  
"We come for your time."  
  
The words.. They were from a letter.  
  
Cursing himself, Quatre began to run. His footsteps mingled with his pursuers to form a beat to an eerie lullaby. Quatre began to get scared.  
  
And then he realized his hunter was gaining.  
  
* * * *  
  
"What do you mean 'He never came home'?" Duo asked the maid, staring at her in disbelief.  
  
The maid looked nervous and showed it by fidgeting with her apron. "We assumed he was working late, sir."  
  
'Working late,' Duo told himself, 'It has to be that.' But even as he thought this, Duo knew that he was thinking of a different reason for Quatre's tardiness.  
  
There had been many letters, after all.  
  
End  
  
The sequel will be called, "Friendless." I couldn't think of anything better and it works.  
  
Review if you love sushi! (or cookies, or bread, or any kind of vegetable, or fruits, or ice cream, or chocolate, or peanuts..) 


End file.
